


Defining a Life: Scars on the Soul

by MirrorandImage



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse Themes, Adults acting like adults, Bisexual Disaster Qrow Branwen, Gen, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Slow Burn, Support Structures, how much your life changes when you have people who support you, kids acting like kids, of different permutations, overcoming abuse, wildly switching from fluff to drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 216,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25068010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorandImage/pseuds/MirrorandImage
Summary: [In progress]. While waiting to pick up his nieces from school, Qrow starts to talk to the curious white-haired professor who always parks in the handicapped spot.
Relationships: Ozpin & Oscar Pine, Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Comments: 333
Kudos: 193





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Promises of an Unknown Coast](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11163627) by [TigerMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerMoon/pseuds/TigerMoon). 



It was the first time in about three days that Qrow felt anything resembling human. He'd had a fever, the chills, nausea, congestion, the works. Some strange bastard of a flu and head-cold all rolled up into a ball of misery. But this morning he woke up feeling alive for the first time in what felt like forever. He had energy, he could breath (though the sniffles were lingering), and above all, he could finally get down and _keep_ down a meal. So he had taken a shower, rinsed the sick off of him, dressed in clean clothes and decided to enjoy feeling alive.

The sun was shining. He was feeling good.

So Qrow arrived at school about a half-hour before the bell rang for dismissal, intent on picking up his nieces. He'd already texted them that he'd pick them up instead of them taking the bus, and he parked in the parent pick-up zone just beyond the driveway that wove to the sidewalk in front of the main doors. Then he got out of his car and gleefully sat on the hood to just enjoy the sunshine and the crisp autumn air. Skys were just never as blue as they were in the fall.

He was enjoying the breeze and the smell of leaves when a car pulled into the handicapped spot beside him and Qrow watched a man with silver hair get out of the car and hobble faster than any man with a cane had any right to up to the school to get buzzed in. Absently, Qrow wondered what had pissed the man off, because the only reason he could think of to go running into a school was if either of his nieces had done something monumentally stupid. (His little firecracker _playing_ with firecrackers on school grounds came to mind….)

Still, the day was too damn _nice_ to dwell on it as the buses started to rumble up to the sidewalk and then park, letting the engines tick down while waiting for the bell to ring and to fill up with students.

There were only half the buses parked when the man from the handicap spot exited the school, still leaning heavily on his cane, a young boy by his side sporting quite the ice-pack to his face, thick black hair, and freckles dotting his tanned skin. The man was clearly fretting.

"We're going _straight_ to the doctor-"

"Dad, I'm _fine_ -"

"You're going to need _stitches_ on that lip-"

"I _promise_ , I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt any more-"

They stopped just past the buses, not quite to the parking lot, as the dad let out along, heavy sigh.

"Oscar..." he said so softly, Qrow could barely hear. He tried to ignore them by playing on his phone to give them some semblance of privacy.

"I'm fine, Dad."

Then the dad pulled his son into a close hug, despite how awkward it clearly was to lean forward.

"We're still seeing the doctor. Just humor me."

The kid let out a sigh as well. "Fine. I'll help you up the stairs."

Qrow was still "absorbed" in his phone and he watched the Dad and the kid get in the car and carefully pull away.

Moments later, the school bell rang and Qrow had an armload of red.

"Ruby," he smiled, twirling her around. "You know I'm probably contagious as hell right now, don't you?"

"Don't care!" she squealed, then laughed and hugged him closer.

Yang's smile was just as huge as she easily sat in the front seat, shotgun taken. "Uncle Qrow!" Yang said excitedly as he tried to pull Ruby off him. "There was a _fight_ today!"

Qrow rolled his eyes and worked to herd his nieces into the car.

* * *

Naturally, the following week, the bastard offspring of the cold/flu that Qrow suffered through went through his nieces, then the following week it hit their father Tai. And once again, Qrow was babysitting and picking up the nieces to bring them home.

The second day of doing so, Qrow was once again early and just sitting on the hood of his car, playing with his phone. The weather was still too nice to just stay in the car. A car pulled up into the handicap spot next to him, and Qrow noticed the man from before. Silver hair, pale skin, tired eyes. The man leaned back with a sigh, before also stepping gently out of his car. Though where Qrow was just enjoying the weather, it was clear that this man was trying to stretch out a bad leg.

"Hey," Qrow offered, putting his phone away.

"Greetings," the man replied politely, clearly trying to stretch without being obvious.

"I'm here for my nieces," Qrow continued, figuring interaction with another adult was better than sinking down to his nieces's maturity level.

"My son," the man said, walking around to lean against the passenger side. "I'm Ozpin Ozma."

"Qrow Branwen," he replied, reaching out and shaking hands. "Nice meeting you, Oz."

A corner of a lip twitched up. "A pleasure, Mr. Branwen."

"Qrow, please."

They simply stood for a moment, watching another bus pull up to the driveway and park in front of the school. "How old are your nieces?"

Right. Awkward parent small talk. Qrow offered a slanted smile. "They'd tell you they were over a hundred and when you ask what they mean, Yang would solemnly swear they have old souls and Ruby would just say that they had to be old in order to put up with me and their dad."

Ozpin's mouth twitched again. "I'd imagine Oscar might say something similar about having to take care of his old man if he'd ever heard the concept." Ozpin's mouth twitched again. "Then again, I've never ventured teaching him that sort of metaphor or allegory."

"Ah, staying ahead of it," Qrow smiled. "Good luck with that. It won't last."

Ozpin's smile was a quick flash. "Oscar is far too busy to even consider it. I've always made sure of that."

Qrow chuckled.

Of course, by then, the bell had rung and there was a screech of "Uncle Qrooooooooow!"s as his nieces plowed into him, making Qrow stumble back.

"Hey pipsqueaks," he laughed. "Ready for me to babysit again?"

"Of course!" Yang shouted. "Dad should get sick more often to have you babysit! We can actually play video-games!"

Ozpin raised a brow. But Qrow didn't see it. "Yang, you know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah, when the homework's done, but I finished most of it in class today! It's just the math-"

Qrow gave a very flat look.

Ruby was chortling. "Uh-oh, you mentioned math! Now Uncle Qrow's going to sit you down like he did with me and social studies yesterday."

"Psh," Yang waved it off. "No one ever gets math."

"Oh, you're on," Qrow pulled Yang close and started messing up her long blond hair because he knew it would annoy her. "You'll understand this math well enough to _ace_ the quiz I'll be giving you later this week."

" _What_?"

"He's giving me a quiz in social studies too."

" _Uncle Qroooooooooooow!_ "

Qrow smiled at the chaos.

"Hey, Dad."

"Oscar," Ozpin said softly, running a hand through the thick dark hair of his son. "How was your first day back?"

"Fine."

"Oscar?"

"Fine."

Qrow didn't hear the conversation with the controlled chaos he was managing, but Qrow did get his nieces to settle down enough. "Okay girls, this is Mr. Ozma. Say hello."

Both Yang and Ruby turned with sudden interest.

"Hello Mr. Ozma," they both said together with matching smiles.

"Ozpin is fine," he greeted, an arm around Oscar's shoulder. He gave a mischievous smile. "Professor works as well. It's the only name I ever hear all day long, I sometimes wonder if I've forgotten my name. Sometimes I just introduce myself as Professor Ozma." He looked off into the middle distance, face scrunched in concentration. "I wonder. Perhaps my name really is Professor and I've just created the name Ozpin in a flight of fancy and alliteration."

"Daaaaad," Oscar drawled. "You've always told me that alliteration is for consonants. For vowels, it's assonance."

"So I have," Ozpin gave a wide, beaming smile, and Qrow couldn't stop the chuckle.

"Why not have both names," Ruby said brightly, "Professor Ozpin?"

Clear surprise flashed across Ozpin's face and then he smiled gently. "What a novel idea…"

"Okay," Qrow interrupted. "I want to leave before the buses make the parking lot a traffic jam." He turned to Yang. "You are explaining what you're going over in class on the way home."

"Fractions," she replied promptly with disgust.

"Really?" Qrow said flatly. "Fractions are the easiest thing to deal with and you need them for proportions and statistics." He turned to Ozpin and Oscar. "See you around."

Ozpin gave his twitch of a smile, and turned to Oscar, also to get ready to go home.

A week later and Tai was better but so far behind on his work he asked Qrow to keep picking up the girls for another week. He needed the extra hours just to catch up, and Qrow working third shift made him available. So Qrow dragged himself out of bed at the crack of noon, had his breakfast of eggs and soda and drove to the school to pick up his nieces again.

The professor guy was there in the handicap spot, but Qrow didn't get his spot next to it, instead putting his fifteen year old junker a couple of rows back and - since the weather was still nice, set up on the hood of his car again. He hadn't gotten home until dawn and was in bed for all of four hours before he had to pick up the girls, so the idea of a nap while waiting for the bell to ring sounded _swell_.

He had closed his eyes for all of thirty seconds before someone was poking him, and that made him sit bolt upright - only to forget he was on the hood of his car and overbalance, sliding down the hood and crashing into the asphalt. He cursed - loudly, and pulled at his palms to rub the loose gravel and tar out of them.

"Terribly sorry," said a voice above him.

Qrow turned and looked up, ready to swear at whoever had done that, but saw the cane guy - Ozpin, looking down at him. "It seemed you were deeper asleep than I initially predicted," he said, reaching down. "I apologize."

Qrow rolled his eyes, getting on his knees and then standing up on his own - Ozpin looked like he would fall over if Qrow even blinked at him. "It's fine," he said, waving it off. He clapped his hands together, trying to get the bits out. "It's just my luck."

Ozpin smiled, awkwardly, not understanding the joke.

"Did I miss the bell?"

"No, but I saw you in the rearview," he said, gesturing to his car, "And thought I would say hello."

Qrow blinked at him, still tired. "Well," he said, "Hi."

Ozpin smiled again. "The spot next to me has opened up, if that is your preferred parking space," he said, before turning and walking - _limping_ \- back to his car. Qrow wondered - not for the first time - what happened to make the guy limp so bad. He followed the man with his eyes, seeing that the parking spot next to him was, in fact, empty. Shrugging, he got in his car and turned the ignition. Sun was better over there anyway.

Once properly where he was supposed to be he got on the hood again, and Ozpin, leaning against his car door, was smiling again. "You are like a bird," he said, "Sunning yourself as high as possible."

"Hey, pal, if I was as high as possible I'd be on the roof," Qrow said, "As it is I'm lucky this clunker hasn't popped a tire." He knocked on the windshield for emphasis, and - per Qrow Branwen tradition - there was a pop and a hiss, and the back corner of his junker started to sink. He turned and hopped off the car immediately, walking around to Oz's side of the car and seeing the tire deflate. "Sunnofa-" he muttered, kicking his car door. "Great, just _great_." Muttering curses he pulled out his phone to text Tai about the flat.

"Do you have a ride?"

He looked up, having forgotten Ozpin was even there, still leaning against his station wagon, cane leaning against the side view.

"What?"

"Do you have a ride?" Oz asked again, shifting his weight. "Or a mechanic? The bell is about to ring."

"I have a mechanic," Qrow said, scrolling through his phone. "But not a ride, Tai's gonna kill me."

"Then I offer my services."

… There was no way Qrow heard that right. Four hours wasn't enough sleep. "What?" he asked again.

Oz's white head tilted to his wagon. "I can fit all of you in my car," he said, "and take you where you need to go. Or I can entertain your nieces while you wait for your mechanic to pick you up."

That… that was… "You always this nice to people?" Qrow asked.

Oz shrugged his shoulders. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you," he said, "That's the quote, is it not? I find the principle largely ignored in this day and age, but I always liked the idea of 'paying it forward,' to use more modern parlance."

Qrow shook his head, disbelieving. "You always use big words like that?"

The other man blinked, and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Forgive me," he said. "I am a professor, and I make a point of modeling the kind of vocabulary I wish to see in my students' papers."

Qrow laughed, a burst of an exhalation more than an actual chuckle, and leaned against the passenger door. "Fine," he said, "You can take the girls. Where do you live?"

"Pine Woods, if you know where that is."

"Off of Main? By the old gas station?"

"The other side, actually. Passed the gym before they closed it, two lights and then the fourth house on the left if you're going to the highway."

"Used to drive by there all the time," Qrow said, pulling it up on his phone. "What's your number? I'll call when the mechanic's here."

Oz rattled off his numbers right as the bell rang and the kids flooded out. Ruby all but appeared, jumping up to his back and nearly knocking him over. Yang was close behind, grabbing Qrow's wrist in excitement and pointing. "Do you see her?" she asked. "Do you see her?"

Qrow was trying to catch up. "Who?"

"Over there, black pants, white shirt - _don't look like you're looking!_ "

… _Kids_. Qrow straightened, tugging Ruby off and looked between the buses. A girl walked by, black pants, white shirt, black ribbon up in her hair. Yang ran over to her, waving. "Hi!" she said. "I… I really like your bow!"

"... Right…"

The girl kept walking to the far side of the parking lot. Yang spun around, goofy smile on her face and cheeks bright pink.

"Isn't she _amazing?_ " she asked. "She's new this year! She's from the city, she said, her parents are big in politics and she's just _so cool_."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "You're pretty cool, too, firecracker," he said, running his hand through her hair just to annoy her. "Let me know when you two start dating."

" _Uncle Qrow!_ "

"Anyway," he said, pointing to his flat. "We got a problem and a solution."

"Dad…?"

"Oscar," Ozpin said as the girls looked at the junker. He reached a hand out and Oscar obediently drew in for a hug. "I've offered the services of our car to these two lovely young women here," he said. "While their uncle procures the means to have his car fixed."

Oscar looked at the two girls, both of them staring at him. Almost subconsciously, he started to duck behind his father. Shy, Qrow guessed.

Qrow finally called Oz's number, and the two of them worked through their contacts to label everything. Qrow texted Tai while the girls piled into the back of Oz's car, while the professor climbed in and worked his leg into the wagon as well, Oscar taking the passenger seat.

"Okay, ladies," Qrow said. "You two are to be on your best behavior. No fighting, no poking, and no _teasing_. They don't know what our kind of teasing looks like you got it?"

"No problem, Uncle Qrow!"

"Good. Now if they decide to kidnap you and hide you in a tower somewhere, text me immediately - but don't look like you're texting or else Oz here will take your phone."

"Uncle Qrow, he's hearing every word you're saying."

"Exactly," Qrow said, nodding his head. "He's learning the rules, same way you are. _Best behavior_."

"I assure you, Mr. Branwen, they're in the most capable of hands."

* * *

Three hours later Qrow had his rental and was driving down Pine Wood to the Ozma household. He honked twice as he pulled up, and Ruby and Yang immediately piled out of the tiny house, filled with adventures and stories of the man who made cookies, a wall _full_ of books bigger than theirs - and all their done homework. Qrow nodded his thanks to Ozpin, who nodded back, and they piled into the rental to take them home.

It ended up being Qrow's thing. He enjoyed picking up his nieces, having a chance to chat with Professor Ozpin, and it gave Tai a few extra hours at his job for a little extra cash. Qrow got more time with his girls, and he couldn't say no to that, and it didn't interrupt his shifts either. All around, it was a win-win.

One day, Qrow was putting on his heavy jacket to head to school, he got a text from Ozpin.

_I won't be able to pick up Oscar. Can you take him for the afternoon?_

It was such a surprise, Qrow needed a minute to blink and process.

_You okay?_

_Something's come up. I won't be home till late in the evening_.

Qrow frowned. He called his job and had to do some fast talking about switching shifts, but once arranged, he texted back.

_All set. Text me when you're on your way?_

_Will do. I'll text Oscar_.

Qrow texted his girls that they'd be having company.

It was clear that Ruby and Yang had collected Oscar in the building and were dragging him out to the car, chatting excitedly about how much fun they were going to have. They even agreed, very generously, to give Oscar shotgun. Qrow let them chatter, but he watched from the corner of his eye quietly.

Oscar was very much a quiet, hard-working kid. Incredibly shy, even after having been exposed to Qrow's nieces for a good chunk of the school year at this point. He tended to worry his hands, stare at his feet, and glance around. He sat in the front seat very closed off, hands in his lap, hunched forward, glancing around nervously, and Qrow felt something like a pit settle in his stomach. Most of the afternoon, he just let Ruby and Yang drag him around and never said a word.

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked softly while Ruby was playing a racing game with Oscar in the front room. "Is everything okay?"

"Don't know, firecracker," Qrow replied. "For now, we help. It's up to Oscar to share."

Yang nodded solemnly.

It was a line of society. One didn't butt into the business of others. One could see something wrong from afar, but one didn't interfere. Bystander syndrome. There was always the thought that someone else would help. After all, Qrow reasoned, Ozpin clearly had his life together. He was a professor at a pricey university almost an hour away. But he was always there for his son. Qrow didn't observe any sign of money trouble, just a very close family. Nothing unusual. But watching Oscar, Qrow wondered if he'd misjudged something. Qrow himself was fairly open about his life. While he wouldn't initiate it, he'd mentioned to Ozpin that his sister, Yang's mom, was in jail, that Summer, Ruby's mom had died and that the girls raised the adults just as much as the adults raised them. Too many friends knew the sad story, so there was never an instinct to hold back what was normal about their lives.

But watching Oscar barely interact with anything or only acting mechanically…

Well, Qrow had some questions.

But asking a clearly worried child wasn't going to produce answers.

Ruby had been dancing around the subject all afternoon, but Oscar hadn't broken his silence yet, despite Ruby's best puppy eyes. He kept any conversation he did manage on anything but why he was there. Tai arrived to pick up the girls with a box of pizza and the five of them ended up sitting down to dinner. Oscar was unerringly polite, and _very_ quiet.

Tai looked at Qrow, concerned, but Qrow could only shake his head.

Tai nodded and herded the girls out to head home.

"So, kid, what do you want to do?"

Oscar checked his phone. "Anything is fine," he said softly.

"No word from your dad?"

Oscar shook his head.

"Did he say why he was going to be so late?"

Oscar shook his head.

Qrow let out a heavy sigh. "Alright kid, we're going to sit down and you're going to tell me your favorite fairy tale. I'm pretty sure I got a copy of it somewhere around here."

Oscar actually looked up and didn't look so… lost. "Fairy tale?"

Qrow was already at the bookcase pulling out several volumes. "Yeah, yeah," he replied. "You're too old for that, yadda, yadda, yadda, but you need escape right now and if video-games, the most _immersive_ form of escapism man currently has isn't cutting it, we're going to try old school."

But Oscar was no longer at the counter, he was politely standing behind Qrow, hands held together, eyes roving over the volumes that he was pulling out.

"Which editions do you have?" Oscar asked quietly.

Qrow turned with a smile. "Oh, I'm sure your dad has the originals somewhere. I'm not that fancy. Whatever print I could find. Both Ruby and Yang _devoured_ fairy tales when they were toddlers. Of course, now that I've said that, I'm sure to be murdered in my sleep for sharing something ' _embarrassing_ ' or whatever. I bought any fantasy story I could find. Anything that had magic and legends to it."

Oscar had glanced nervously at Qrow before stepping forward and looking over the titles. "David and Leigh Eddings?"

"Very fantasy, but had some funny bits that the girls liked. The legend of Belgarion solving the tragedy of Mandorallen and Nerina. One of the funniest chapters I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Eddings should have used more sarcasm of that level." After all, no one could appreciate sarcasm as well as Qrow could.

"L.E. Modesitt?"

"Probably a little old for you. Not so much adventure as characters that think too much and work hard to improve either themselves or their situation. Longest series is the whole chaos and order conflict. I was more fond of the Imager Portfolio."

Oscar's hand snaked out to take a book and start reading the summary on the back.

"Find one you like and you can keep it till you're done. These may not be fairy tales-"

"-but they're inspired by the magic and mystery of them," Oscar muttered, taking another book to read the back.

Qrow let him be and went to check his own phone.

No word yet.

What the hell was going on, Ozpin?

* * *

It was nine o'clock when both of their phones chimed.

_I'm heading home now._

"An hour's drive, right?" Qrow asked.

Oscar nodded, all that tension back in his frame.

"You got your keys?"

Oscar's nod was so very solemn. "Dad always said to keep my keys, phone, and id on me at all times."

Sound advice, but something of that pit in Qrow's stomach stirred at hearing the way Oscar intoned that. "Let's get you home. The less your dad has to do when he gets home, the faster both of you can get some sleep."

That sent a small spark of a smile and Oscar's eyes lit up. Clearly the kid had some idea in mind of what to do.

"Come on."

Oscar nodded, put his homework neatly back into his backpack and put the book he'd been reading back onto the shelf. Qrow chuckled, grabbed the book, and gave it back. "I told you. Give it back when you're done."

The smile was shy, but bright. "Thanks, Mr. Branwen."

"Might as well call me Qrow."

The ride to the Ozma home was very quiet, but while Oscar's posture was still very contained, there was an energy to him. He had a purpose now, and he was intent on it. As soon as Qrow was able to park, the kid was out the door.

The house was small, and Qrow understood immediately why they lived here once Oscar was zooming around the house. The master bedroom was downstairs, making for Ozpin to rarely ever need the stairs. Upstairs was probably Oscar's room and some sort of bathroom. Oscar's focus as he bustled around was setting up a chair in the living room that was next to an ottoman and getting lots of pillows piled high on both.

Ozpin's chair, no doubt.

Pajamas were pulled out, the bed turned down, and Oscar was in the middle of setting up the bathroom when Qrow heard a car pull up.

Ozpin came in slowly and stiffly, his walk barely a shuffle, and Qrow moved on instinct, helping him across the short walk to the chair and ottoman that Oscar had set up, letting Ozpin settle with a pained hiss.

"Rough day?" he asked softly.

"That's putting it mildly," Ozpin said tiredly.

"Dad! You're home!" And restrained, quiet Oscar came running up to crush his father into a bear hug. Ozpin hugged back like a man starved and Qrow headed to the kitchen to give them a minute. One of the things Oscar had set up was a cup and a packet for hot chocolate, so Qrow got the kettle going. There were quiet whispers behind him, but he ignored it all politely and focused on the steaming kettle.

Suddenly Oscar was running to the bathroom and getting the faucet of the tub going.

"Oscar," Ozpin called, "I appreciate all of this, but you need to get to bed. You're still going to school tomorrow."

"Sure thing!" Oscar called back, still bustling about and pulling out bath salts and dumping them in. "Once your bath's ready I'll go upstairs."

" _Now_ , young man."

" _Daaaaad_!"

"Don't make me get up, Oscar!"

"But-"

With a pained grunt, Qrow turned and watched as Ozpin struggled to stand and start hobbling over to a poleaxed Oscar.

" _Dad_!"

When Ozpin got there he pulled Oscar close into another starved hug, despite how awkward it was to lean down and kissed the top of his head. "Thank you," he said softly. "Now get to bed."

"Y-Yeah, okay Dad."

Oscar headed upstairs and Ozpin deflated.

"Need help for that chair again?"

Ozpin's sigh was rattling and emotional. "If I'm this close to the bath, I might as well get settled into it."

With the door to the bathroom shut, Qrow looked around. Manners and polite society dictated this was the best time to leave. Ozpin was home, Oscar was settled, they'd be fine. But Qrow couldn't quite bring himself to leave. Instead he just sat in the living room, pulled out his phone and played with it.

Almost an hour later, certainly a good long hot soak for that bum leg, Qrow heard the sounds of Ozpin getting out of the bath and Qrow headed back into the kitchen to get a fresh mug of hot chocolate ready. He didn't care that it was near midnight. To Qrow's mind, the last thing Ozpin needed was to be alone after whatever had clearly stressed both him and Oscar all day long.

The hot chocolate was ready when the bathroom door opened and Ozpin, in pajamas, blinked blearily at both the mug and Qrow. After staring for a minute, Ozpin's eyes looked up to Qrow. "You're still here?" he asked in quiet disbelief.

Qrow offered his usual crooked smile. "You need a friend."

"Ahhhh, I suppose that's true," he replied softly.

Qrow offered an arm and while it was clear Ozpin's leg wasn't so stiff, it was still obviously painful. Qrow helped Ozpin through the house to the bedroom where Oscar had pulled down the sheets and had a heating pad plugged in and ready.

"I really don't deserve that boy," Ozpin muttered as Qrow helped him into bed. After a moment of getting settled, Qrow pulled over a counter-high chair that was by the closet of the room.

"You okay?"

Ozpin leaned back into the mass of pillows Oscar had piled and sighed. "No. But I will be."

Qrow's foot bounced a little, as he considered things. "What happened?"

Ozpin didn't look up. "I had an unexpected visitor to my 8:00 this morning. Most of the day was spent dealing with that."

"The whole day?"

Ozpin took a long sip of his chocolate. "The visitor wouldn't leave. At first I ignored it, but I was followed to all my classes today."

"You called the police?"

"I had no other option. Rational discussion wasn't getting anywhere."

"Restraining order?"

"It was enforced," Ozpin replied softly, and Qrow didn't think Ozpin was aware that that had even slipped out. Qrow had asked thinking that a restraining order was _needed_ , not that one existed and needed _enforcement_.

"You're not going back to school tomorrow."

Ozpin gave a tired, broken laugh. "No. I won't have enough sleep as it is. I've posted that tomorrow's classes are canceled." Every word sounded like it took a mountain of energy to get out. "... Likely the day after as well."

Qrow nodded. "So you've got a plan. Oscar's safe. You're home in one piece. Today was a win."

"...I suppose," Ozpin slurred, exhaustion clearly pulling at him. "... not exactly in one piece…."

Qrow went very still. "Oh?" he asked as lightly and softly as he could.

"... none ever sees…. scars to the soul….."

Raven flashed across Qrow's mind so sharply Qrow thought he felt his heart stop. He took a moment to just breathe after that, settle his nerves, because damages to the soul? He understood that _far_ too well.

"That's all too true," he murmured. Standing, he took Ozpin's mug back out to the kitchen and considered things. Then he grabbed a blanket off the sofa and stretched out. Ozpin needed a friend.

There was no way Qrow was going to leave after all that.

Qrow would be the support he had needed after everything that had happened with Raven.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Welcome to the madness! We started back in April when the whole world shut down, in a desperate need to find fluff. Of course, the two of us are drama writers, not fluff writers, so this fic is going to yo-yo between the two genres as we alternate writing things that make us smile and things that make us excited - you see as much here as Qrow playfully talks about his nieces being kidnapped to a tower and then having Oz's Bad Day. There's no outline, not idea of what this fic is doing of where it's going. We're just... we're playing, in all the messy glory that word entails.

300 pages later and we're still going but we have at least a LITTLE structure. For new readers, the fic will be updated once a week. No beta as yet - if you're a beta and are interested in seeing OzQrow fluff/drama let us know.

We did some slight playing with ages, either aging up or down to make things slightly more convenient. The cast gets pretty big but we don't include everyone so set expectations accordingly. If things go well we'll occasionally have echoes of a moment in the show rather than a direct story beat, there's no semblances of faunus, and the two of us are teachers IRL so in theory the kids will act like kids and the adults will act like adults.

Hope you all enjoy, see you next week!


	2. Chapter 2

Oscar grunted as his alarm went off. Sleeeeeeep, he needed more sleeeeeeep! But he was too well trained and Oscar was always a morning person. When spring came, he would handle the garden or the lawn, and it was always better to do it in the morning, when the air was still cool. So his body, on autopilot, got up, turned off the alarm and went to the closet to grab clothes for the day.

He had just finished combing his mess of hair and was reaching for a scarf when his brain caught up with where he was and what had happened the previous day.

Against his will, his eyes went to the scars on his neck, the jagged lines that had choked him.

After… well, after, he always made sure to wear a collared shirt or a scarf. People had joked that he was taking after his dad's more academic look. He was just glad no one noticed. It was harder in the summer, especially when he was out in the garden with sweat dripping down his neck, but he just… he didn't want anyone to see them.

The scars ached this morning.

With a heavy sigh, he wrapped the scarf. It was getting colder and colder out, no one would pay attention to him wearing a scarf.

Besides, he just wouldn't go to school. Oscar doubted his dad had gotten much sleep or would be going in, so Oscar planned to stay home and help. Already, he was making a to-do list in his head. Yesterday would normally have been a laundry day, but that hadn't been done. So laundry. He'd cook all the meals so that his dad didn't have to get up or move around. The miscellaneous chores had been piling up, so maybe he could make a dent in those….

Plan in mind, Oscar was able to give a small smile to himself in the mirror and headed downstairs. He doubted his dad would wake up, so get something to eat for himself first…

He paused on the stairs. Did Oscar smell…. eggs? And bacon? Blinking, Oscar rushed downstairs. His dad only ever cooked his favorite breakfast for special occasions, what-

"Hey kid," Qrow stood in the kitchen, casually flipping eggs in a skillet. "I remember Ozpin mentioning once this was your favorite breakfast."

"Ahhhh, um… huh?" Oscar offered intelligently.

"Ozpin made it clear," Qrow continued, flipping the eggs again. "You're going to school today. Your breakfast is ready. Your backpack is good from when we got here last night. I don't know when your bus gets here, but you should have plenty of time to brush your teeth after breakfast."

"Wait, what?"

"Oscar, just sit and eat. I'm trying to give your dad more time to sleep."

"But, um, wait, huh?" Oscar stepped forward, utterly flustered as he took his seat at the table. Qrow put down a plate and slid the eggs off the skillet on to it, bacon sliding on immediately after.

"What's your dad's favorite breakfast?" Qrow asked.

"Mr. Branwen, while I'm very grateful, why are you still here?" There, he was able to spit out the question. "I thought you left last night?"

"I probably should have," Qrow replied lightly. "But… I saw Ozpin last night. I've been there. The two of you need a friend after whatever the hell happened yesterday. What's been happening to cause whatever spooked you so bad yesterday." Qrow was flipping eggs on the skillet again. "So I'm going to be what I needed. I'm going to be a friend. It's up to the two of you on what you need. But whatever either of you need, I'll provide."

Qrow dished out his own eggs and sat down. "So, your dad needs sleep. He needs you to go to school. You need to hang out with my nieces or any other friends you have and distract yourself. So I can support you two by at least making breakfast and getting you out the door."

Oscar slowly put down his fork and stared at his plate. Because really? Who did that? Who just stopped their lives to support someone else? When…. everything had happened, Oscar didn't remember anyone helping then. But then, looking back now, was there even anyone to help? Is this what normal people did? Oscar wasn't sure.

He knew he wasn't normal. Normal people didn't need to hide scars on a neck. Normal people didn't feel their own bodies constrict on themselves at the text of their father being late. Normal people didn't live in fear of being found. Normal people didn't live in fear of conflict. Normal people didn't have to worry about restraining orders. Did normal people just… offer to help like this?

Did normal people feel touched when this happened? Did normal people want to cry?

Because Oscar could feel tears in his eyes, he could feel his throat choke up, he could feel his cheeks start to burn. He tried to take another bite of his breakfast, and he just kept sniffling.

"Here's some toast."

Oscar nearly choked.

He somehow swallowed, gulped down his juice and managed to push out words. "You don't have to do all this… It's too much…. It's…"

"It's what I'm willing to do. And cooking breakfast doesn't seem like much, but I know how much that meant to me, once upon a time," Qrow replied softly. "Now finish up. Wash up. You're going to school like your dad said, and you're stuffing more knowledge into that brain of yours, because that's what any grown up wants for their kids."

Oscar could only nod.

Qrow watched Oscar from the house when the bus came to pick him up. The kid had been so grateful that he'd cried for a good ten minutes; then had to use the bathroom again to wash up and run out to wait for the bus. If he was that hyper-emotional… well, he either needed to see his guidance counselor or he'd better have some damn good friends.

Qrow went onto the group text with his family and informed them where he was and how things were going. He also emphasized to Ruby and Yang that Oscar had to approach them if he wanted to talk, not the other way around.

He also - very deliberately - did not mention the fact that he needed a drink. He'd dreamt of Raven last night: the whole debacle, and the first thing he did was go right to the fridge - didn't even matter that it wasn't his house - to see what the stock was. Seeing nothing snapped him out of his need, and he had shaken his head and kicked himself. He'd stayed over so Ozpin could have a friend, not so he could make bad decisions that he'd already promised several times over to never do again.

But it hurt, thinking about Raven; what she did to Tai and Yang, what she did to him. Damages to the soul… geez, Qrow's soul was probably a roadmap of stitches and tears and frayed edges. He knew exactly what Ozpin was talking about, on every level one could think of probably, and he was not going to indulge when someone needed him.

Someone needing him had been what pulled him from the brink: teary eyed Yang and Ruby asking when he was going to leave. His eyes welled just thinking about it, and he rubbed his face and cursed himself. He stretched out on the couch - middle cushion was the softest - and turned the TV on low, surfing for something to kill his brain cells while he waited for Ozpin to wake up. He also pulled out his phone and reworked his schedule - he'd already given up his day off when Ozpin texted yesterday, now he had to make sure there was another day he could spare in case Ozpin needed more than a few hours to put himself back together again. He also sent a text to his sponsor, telling Clover today was probably going to be a bad day, and he might need to come over when everything was said and done.

It was seven-thirty when he heard noise in the downstairs bedroom. Sighing, he got up and went back to the kitchen to make more eggs and bacon.

"Oscar, I hope you don't expect me to call the school because-oh."

Qrow turned, saw Ozpin in a green turtleneck and loose-fitting dark wash jeans. He blinked to realize the professor could dress in something other than a three piece. The man's hair was wet, swept to one side with stray hairs already falling into his face, and his dark eyes were staring at Qrow and the frying pan.

"Morning," Qrow said, offering a cheeky grin.

The other man blinked once, twice, seemed unable to process what he was seeing.

"... Mr. Branwen…"

"Qrow, remember?"

"... Qrow…"

Well, that wasn't any better. Qrow let the man boot up his brain and flipped the eggs and bacon as he had for the boy. Plate dished out, he turned and motioned for the tiny kitchen table. "Breakfast isn't going to eat itself," he said, setting the dish down.

Ozpin was still staring at him, but he finally shook himself out of it. "Mr. Bra-Qrow, I must confess you have me at a disadvantage. I fail to see why you are still here, let alone cooking breakfast and-" he froze again. Straightening and tilting his head. Listening. "... and seeing my son off to school," he finished.

Qrow sat at the table, gestured for Ozpin to join him, but he was still staring. Qrow realized the guy was on the defense, unable to see kindness for what it was, waiting to hear the angle. He was so like the old Qrow it hurt.

"No ulterior motive," he answered. "No strings, no favors. Just a guy seeing another guy hurt and deciding to do something about it." Ozpin said nothing, still stared, leaning on his cane. Qrow sighed. "You said last night… Look, I've been in a place like yours okay? I know what a 'bad day' looks like for me and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Family, friend, or otherwise. I had good people that pulled me back before the worst happened, and I promised myself I'd do that for other people if I ever found them."

Ozpin finally sat - more like fell - into the chair. His eyes were so wide, Qrow could see the resemblance to Oscar. For a split second he thought the guy would cry like his son, but something finally managed to tell his brain to work and he delicately took a fork and started eating his breakfast. Qrow gave him time, pulled out his phone again for a few games. The silence hung over them, and Qrow couldn't tell if it was heavy or not. He thought it might be okay, but silence usually hurt his head after a while, and he finally asked a question.

"You got any booze here?"

Damn, not the question he wanted to ask. Definitely having Clover over.

"No," Ozpin said softly. "We don't drink in this house."

"Good," Qrow said, nodding. "I would have raided it this morning."

A pause. Qrow threw a glance to see Ozpin looking at him again - but not the wide eyed awe but a narrower, more shrewd gaze.

"It's rather early in the morning."

"Yep."

"One wonders if such a question has a high proclivity."

"Don't big-word me, Oz," Qrow said. "I know defense mechanisms when I see'em. I invented half of them."

Oz deflated, sinking back in his chair and weighing his head in a hand. "Forgive me. I'm not trying to be defensive," he said, and his voice was low.

Qrow leaned back. "We start small. Do you want to be here in the kitchen, or somewhere else?"

Ozpin flashed a small smile. "I suppose if stories are to be told, the living room would be a better locale."

"Good," Qrow nodded. "Finish up. I'll get your fireplace going. It doesn't take much to see winter is coming."

Ozpin settled into his chair, overstuffed and plush, and still sporting the veritable mountain of pillows that Oscar had provided the previous night. The fire Qrow had started was still small, but it was already providing warmth to Ozpin's bad leg and that felt so much better than going back to his room to get the heating pad. Qrow sat across from him, settled comfortably on the couch and relaxed in a way that Ozpin hadn't been able to do in years. The silence was awkward, and Ozpin set his cane to its usual place beside his chair.

"All you need to tell me," Qrow said softly, "is what you need. That's it. I'm here to do what you need. You need help with laundry, I'll do your laundry. Just need me to get the hell out, I'll leave. Need me to handle Oscar today, I'll pick him up and take him home with the girls. Today is about what you need."

"You always have what you need! I never have any of my needs met."

Ozpin held back a flinch.

Qrow was all open honesty. He didn't hide the pain of his life. He'd talked about his sister going to jail, that he avoided alcohol, Ruby's mother's sudden death. He may never have entered the depth of those various tragedies, but he acknowledged them as a part of himself. Ozpin had too much shame and guilt to do so.

But…

Ozpin wished he could be as open as Qrow. To be in a place where he could say what he'd been holding in for years. Decades.

He let out a long sigh, leaned back, and looked to the ceiling. "Once upon a time," he said flatly to the ceiling, "I had hair as dark as charcoal, much as Oscar. Within one year, I bore hair as silvery white as fresh fallen snow." He closed his eyes, feeling nothing but numbness and apathy. "Once upon a time, I was very young and very in love. A fair maiden hidden away in need of help. Once upon a time, I married a maiden of such devotion and care. A maiden so damaged and twisted and utterly normal. Once upon a time, it was normal to devote my entire life to her happiness. To do her every wish and whim, to do whatever it took to return those rare smiles to her face. Once upon a time, I thought it normal to schedule my entire life around her, I thought it normal to run every decision by her and worry if anything made her mad or set her off."

Ozpin opened his eyes to the ceiling again.

"Once upon a time, as things started to change drastically, I realized my life was not normal. I realized that it was damaging. And Oscar didn't deserve even a second more of that."

"You left."

"Crossed the country to land here. But I'm moderately known in academic circles." Ozpin lifted his head and shifted carefully to sit up properly and finally face Qrow. "Yesterday she came to my 8:00. I ignored her. She tried to talk to me after the class and followed me to my next and started to cause a scene. And for the next class. Things went badly. I spent a good portion of yesterday first at the police going over everything from the past and making my statements, then I had to go back to campus and explain things to the dean."

"Needless to say," Qrow offered quietly, "this brought up a lot?"

"That would be putting it mildly." Ozpin's mouth twitched to a smile. "I'd have never pondered you as a master of an understatement."

Qrow's smile was brazen. "Oh, if it falls under sarcasm, I might have a passing familiarity."

Ozpin's twitched smile lasted a little longer. "Ah, you are of a more caustic nature?"

"More like mockery."

"A jester of jeering then?"

"Or a sage of satire."

"Oh, very acerbic of you."

"Hey, I banter with barbs."

"Or cast aspersions."

"I'm above such disparagements. I ridicule with rancor."

"Ah, so you are superiorly supercilious."

Qrow stuttered. "Okay, you got me there, Ozpin." He sat back with a large grin. "Supercilious? I'll have to remember that one to throw at the girls."

Ozpin offered a large smile and, for a moment, felt good.

To review: Ozpin had an abusive ex that was so stressful his hair turned white inside a year, and left only after Oscar got dragged in.

No parallels there, nope, not at all.

Qrow was in a bad mood when he left - after the initial adrenaline of seeing a near-stranger in his house Ozpin lost all energy to interact - the broad brush strokes of his life had petered out and Qrow had quickly switched to sarcasm - and wow the other man had wit to spare, but even that couldn't keep Oz engaged and he just… drifted off. Qrow couldn't blame him - those were the days he needed someone in his apartment - usually Clover - to make sure he didn't start drinking again. But with no booze in the house there wasn't much more Qrow could do, and he took his leave.

He did, however, insist that he would pick up Oscar and handle him for a few hours so Ozpin could have more time to himself. Sometimes a guy needed to sit in the numbness for a while, explore it and reacquaint before setting it aside. Oscar seemed to expect this, didn't even ask where his dad was and just piled into the junker along with Yang and Ruby and a new addition.

"Uncle Qrow, this is Blake."

"Yo," he said, not really in the mood to be welcoming. "Don't tell me we're having a sleepover?"

"No," Yang said quickly, turning bright red.

"Blake turned her down," Ruby clarified.

"Ruby!"

Teenagers. Qrow rolled his eyes and started his car. The engine creaked and groaned before finally waking up, and he listened to three girls talk aimlessly about nothing. Oscar was in shotgun again, and he looked out the window, just as empty of energy as his dad. Qrow filed them all up to his apartment and let them loose - most of them sitting automatically at the TV with the exception of Oscar asking for the bathroom, phone in hand.

Right.

Qrow hid in his bedroom, door closed to drown out the girls as he could, and called Clover.

"How bad was the day?" was the automatic question.

"Not the worst," Qrow answered after a thought. "Not the best. Tried to be there for a guy. He wasn't really up for it. Dropped enough hints, though, and my head isn't in a good place."

"Do you need me to come over?"

That was the question, wasn't it? Qrow closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and assessed. "Got the kids with me right now," he said, "They'll make for a great distraction. But tonight, after I drop them off. I won't like the quiet."

"Well, my night's free. Lucky you."

Qrow snorted and hung up, giving himself a few minutes before calling Tai.

"How'd it go?" Another automatic question.

"Fine, I guess," Qrow said. "He didn't really talk, but he said enough. Can you pick up the girls instead of me dropping them off? I got the kid with me and he doesn't have a ride back otherwise. Oz is probably laying in bed questioning his life decisions right now and I don't want him to get up for anything today."

"Sure. I'm almost done anyway. One more call and I can end early."

Qrow nodded and they said their goodbyes. Qrow leaned back, flattening himself on the bed and staring up at his ceiling and its popcorn texturing.

At six o'clock he was back on Pine Wood, putting his car in gear only after he saw Oscar enter the house and close the door. He almost wanted to follow in, see how the professor was doing, but he could only breach so many privacy barriers before he stopped being helpful and started being pushy. Cursing, he drove back to Tai's and sat with chinese take out, three teenage girls, and his best friend that was still alive. Blake left at eight to take the bus to her house, wherever that was, and the girls were put to bed at nine, leaving Tai and Qrow to sit in the kitchen.

"You okay?" Tai asked.

"Why's everyone asking that?" Qrow asked, tired. "I wasn't the one who had a bad day."

Tai snorted, leaning back in his chair and spinning his chopsticks. "Qrow, you have a bad day when anyone has a bad day. I remember the mood you had when Raven was being prickly, and I remember how you got when Summer was mad, and I know exactly how bad it got when I couldn't…" his voice trailed off, and both of them remembered the darkest days. "You tend to spin your wheels when someone close to you is in a mood."

Qrow shook his head. "We're not close," he said. "I barely know the guy."

"Liar," Tai said, weak smile on his face. "When all of that garbage went down, who did he think to call? You."

"Because he knew I'd be at the school."

Tai snorted. "Qrow, not all of us can be bisexual disasters like you," he said, rubbing his face. "Some of us actually like the idea of settling down and raising a family. You're going to pull a double shift for this guy, right?"

"First of the month."

"Name one random guy you're not close to you would do that for."

"You."

"But you're close to me."

"Clover."

"Need I remind you of the 'disaster' part of bisexual disaster?"

Qrow growled low in his throat. He saw Tai's point but he would die before he admitted it. He didn't really think of being close to Ozpin - not like he was to Tai and the girls and even Clover after they got over that mess. Oz was just a guy he saw every day when he was picking up his girls. He was witty in a big brain way, and he loved his son. He didn't really know the guy enough to consider himself close to him.

Tai's eyes slowly widened. "You really don't see it, do you?" he asked. Then he banged his head on the table. "How is the guy who got laid before me that oblivious? How is your luck this bad? Qrow…" he looked up. "Tell me you at least think the guy is hot."

"Tai, I think everyone is hot."

White hair, soft cheeks, eyes that flickered gold sometimes in the afternoon light. Qrow shook the thought away.

"Oh, my god," Tai moaned. "How do you always do this to yourself?"

Qrow left shortly thereafter, not in the mood for Tai's teasing. It was almost ten when he got back to his apartment, and he had maybe two hours before he had to leave for his shift. And when he saw the open apartment door and the shoes on the foyer he knew those last two hours were not going to be peaceful.

"You know I wear shoes in my own apartment," he said, striding in and locking the door behind him.

"So?" Clover asked, stretched out on Qrow's couch like he owned it. "It's bad luck to have shoes on in Japan or something."

"We're not in Japan."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to cultivate bad luck - especially when I'm about to have a talk with you." Clover winked at him, crossing one leg over his knee and patting the cushion next to him. "Soda's in the fridge. Put a pair in the freezer for half an hour and we can talk."

"I regret ever texting you."

"You like the attention and you know it," Clover said brightly.

"I wish I'd never met you."

"Ah, there's the classic Qrow Branwen cynicism," Clover replied. "Knew it was going to come out at some point. Better to get it over with early."

"I hate you."

"You not-so-secretly love me."

"Jesus," Qrow cursed, going to the fridge and putting two soda's in the freezer. "What's with you and Tai today?"

The bright smile faded a little, and Clover's green eyes turned serious. "Qrow, you reached out. We both know how hard that can still be for you. Forgive us if we want to indulge in mothering you."

"Might I remind you that neither of you are my mother?"

Clover shrugged as Qrow settled himself on his couch. "Doesn't matter. Wouldn't want to be her anyway, from the stories. I'd rather be a real mom to you anyway - nurturing, encouraging, teaching you how to live your life without bad habits. Kissing your owies away."

"Ugh, don't make it weird," Qrow said, wincing. "That's my job."

Winning smile: "And you were so good at it," he said playfully. The smile faded again, however, and his tone became more serious. "How are you, really? You said your friend brought up some old memories."

… Tai couldn't do this. Tai was too close to everything that happened, and he couldn't cut through the bull the way Clover could. He had the girls, too, needed to function even when Qrow really lived up to the "disaster" part of his honorary title, and sometimes Qrow didn't feel right dumping his problems on him. Clover, though, he could dig through all the dusty corners of Qrow's life and put it in perspective; he had a knack for knowing exactly what question to ask and what sentence to say to recontextualize whatever hellscape Qrow's life currently took. Just saying the word "old memories" brought up everything Qrow had felt that morning. Watching little Oscar sobbing over breakfast and Ozpin's flat surprise that someone had done something nice for him.

He remembered the flat tire, Oz taking the girls and watching them while he got it fixed.

"Oz," he said, looking down. "Last night he said something about wounds to the soul. This morning he said his hair went white in the span of a year, and that when he learned his kid was getting it too he left."

Clover nodded. "Sounds like the guy has been through a lot."

"Took everything in him just to say that much," Qrow said.

"Sounds familiar," Clover said - gently this time, not a tease. "Did you have any dreams during the sleepover?"

"No… but my head was really loud last night, took a while to get to sleep. You shoulda seen the kid. Cried for ten minutes to see a guy make him breakfast."

Clover winced in sympathy, but nodded. "I can see why this got to you," he said. "Which things were you thinking about?"

"Raven, mostly," Qrow admitted, eyes lost in memory. "How bad it got before she got arrested, how bad it was after." He snorted. "It's stupid. It's not even the same thing."

"But it's the same pain," Clover said. "That's why you always get in a mood when one of your friends is having a bad day. You know the pain, and you feel every inch of it in the moment. Well, you're either doing that or projecting your feelings onto other people, but this time it's pretty obviously the former." He tilted his head slightly, his green eyes narrowing as he asked his next question. "How'd it feel?" he asked. "Helping this Oz guy?"

"I don't know, good I guess."

"You guess?" Clover asked. "Was it open for debate?"

Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Just.. Tai couldn't do much for me when things got bad - he had his own stuff to deal with and he couldn't handle another problem. Raven usually helped me through my disasters and after she left, Summer tried to take up the job. And after her… I didn't really have anybody. And it sucked, being that alone, not having someone there. I didn't want that for Oz."

"How'd you know he even needed it?"

"The kid, Oscar," Qrow said. "You should have seen him after school. Sat perfectly still, barely spoke, waited for the world to explode around him. He looked like Raven and me, when we were kids. Said he made sure his phone and id were on him at all times, that his dad made sure of it."

"What about his work friends?"

"He lives an hour from the university he works at," Qrow said. "And I don't think the campus really knew before yesterday. He crossed the country to get his job here. Said something about having to explain it to the dean."

"Qrow," Clover said, getting up and going to the freezer for the sodas. He tossed one and Qrow caught it. His sponsor sat down and his can opened with a hiss. "This guy has an ex that stalked him to his job to make trouble, and he kept that fact a secret until she came to make the scene. Do you think he would have told you any of this before you forced him to?"

"I didn't force him to do anything."

Clover rolled his eyes. "Qrow, you slept on his couch and saw his kid off to school before making him breakfast. Explain to me how he didn't feel obligated or pressured into telling you anything."

Qrow blinked. "You think it was a bad idea?"

"No," Clover said quickly, sipping his soda. "Not a bad idea. Your heart was pretty obviously in the right place, and not a lot of people would do something like that. But I've got to be honest with you, you can sometimes push your feelings onto other people."

Qrow winced and hid it behind drinking his soda. "I never meant to do that," he said softly.

"I know that," Clover said, not unkindly. "That's why we're still friends. I'm not saying you shouldn't do stuff like that, I'm just saying the next time you see him ask him if you accidentally crossed any boundaries. And if he says yes you back off. But back to my question: did helping him make you feel good?"

"... I don't know," Qrow admitted, sipping the soda and feeling the carbonation bubble down his throat. Not the same as the burn of hard liquor, but it was as close as he was allowing himself to get. "I just wanted to be what I never got: I wanted to be there for a guy when no one was there for me. I tried, but I felt like trash by the time I left. I was thinking about all my baggage."

Clover nodded. "Welcome to the trials and tribulations of being a sponsor," he said. "You have to have your own head on straight before you can be something like that for someone else. Tell me, how long until your five year coin?"

"Seven months."

"Hold on to that. Remind yourself how far you've come since you were in that place. Think about how often you smile now compared to then, and how much Yang and Ruby appreciate having you in their lives - bad luck bisexual disaster or not. Think about how much you learned from Tai and Summer. You have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of someone else." Then he smirked. "Wouldn't want your disaster energy rubbing off on this Oz guy."

"Oh, damn you to hell," Qrow said, kicking his friend from across the couch.

"Can't go there," Clover said brightly. "Too busy damning you."

He pulled out a pack of cards, and they played (re: Qrow lost) until he had to leave for his shift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a commenter on AO3 pointed out that our fic has a very similar set up to a different fic on the site. The conversation after reading that comment went something like this: "Really? What fic are they talking about? After V7 we've picked through just about everything..." "What about Promises of an Unknown Coast by TigerMoon?" "Oh, we love that fic!" "Yeah, but there's a college professor Ozpin who limps on a cane who meets Qrow because Oscar got in a fight at school..." "... damn it."
> 
> Which is a long way of saying we somehow accidentally lifted a premise off of a different fic without even realizing it. That's never happened before in twenty years of writing fanfiction... what even is the process for that? We've PM'd the author TigerMoon to ask their opinion. Until they reply, for now take it on faith that we go in a different direction: Unknown Coast clearly has an outline and a mood while this is us entertaining ourselves during a pandemic and yoyo-ing kind of every where. The premise might be (uncomfortably) similar but we go in a very different direction.
> 
> This chapter starts to point that out. Qrow is four years sober here, almost five - his issues come up but they've mostly been worked out by now. We were vaguely playing with the idea of role reversal, a little: that instead of Oz being the guiding force for Qrow instead of the other way around, that Qrow is (mostly) healthy and Oz has some issues that keep popping back up. More on that later.
> 
> Also: Clover as Sponsor. This idea for some reason tickles us to no end. We're big Oz/Qrow shippers so we never got behind Qrow/Clover, but we did enjoy their dynamic and wanted to incorporate it here. Clover can and will steal every scene he's in, so he'll be used sparingly.
> 
> See you (tentatively, determined by PM) next week.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby was always happy when the bell rang to end the day. She had her two worst classes at the end of the day. Creative Writing and Art. And the reason why they were both the worst had to do with one person: Weiss Schnee. Rich, snobby, condescending, uppity, there weren’t enough words. Art was the worst of the two, since the teacher insisted that people were partnered for the year. So Ruby had to work with Weiss and listen to that all class. Usually Ruby did the bare minimum of participation before ignoring her. Lately, she’d taken to going to sit with Blake, who was in the same class.

Blake only looked over, the first time, glanced back to Weiss, then nodded. In fact, Blake was proving to be as cool as Yang always espoused, since Blake could sometimes offer advice that was _far_ more helpful than what Weiss would. Creative Writing was a little bit more bearable, since both Yang _and_ Blake were there as well as Weiss.

But it always made Ruby super happy to leave and see Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin out in the parking lot.

As usual, Yang met Ruby at her locker, Blake in tow again, and they waited at the main door for Oscar, since his last class was on the other side of the building.

“Hey,” Oscar said shyly.

“Hey squirt,” Yang greeted, “nice to see you! You feeling better?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Oscar replied, looking away. “I’m fine.”

Blake looked at Oscar and narrowed her eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“Well, I’m ready to go home,” Ruby said. “If Professor Ozpin is coming over again, maybe we can weasel him into baking cookies again.”

Oscar gave a small smile. “We usually don’t bake so often,” he offered. “He doesn’t want me eating so much junk food all the time. He says cookies taste better when a rare treat.”

As one, Ruby and Yang looked to each other and nodded, devilish grins spreading across their faces.

“You probably shouldn’t have said that,” Blake offered solemnly, even as her mouth twitched into a smile. “Now they have more ammunition on how to back Professor Ozpin into a corner to bake.”

“Ahhh-- no…. Uhmmm!”

“We promise to only use this in the most dire of circumstances,” Ruby said in all seriousness, saluting to Oscar.

Oscar was still stuttering as they weaved between the buses.

As usual, Ozpin was in the handicapped spot and was leaning against the passenger side to chat with Uncle Qrow, who was sitting on the hood of his car again. Seriously, how early did they get to school? Still Ruby was glad to be out of school.

“Uncle Qrow!” She raced over to tackle-hug him.

“Hey pipsqueak,” he greeted. Ozpin, as always, leaned over to hug Oscar awkwardly. Qrow looked around at all the children. “So, Blake’s coming over again?”

“Yup!” Yang said eagerly. “We have some history to do, and she’s going to help me with science.”

Qrow leveled a flat look. “Help. Not do for you.”

“We would never!” Ruby stated emphatically. And they wouldn’t, but it was all part of the game. She immediately turned to Oscar. “So, can I write that paper for you?”

Oscar stuttered immediately.

Qrow just reached out to rub Ruby’s hair every which way. “Nice try, pipsqueak. You’d be more likely to have Oscar write it for you. If he has half the Sahara of wit his dad has, you’d be seen as a prodigy.”

Ozpin let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, if we’re talking dry wit, I believe your own supercilious tendencies would be enough to influence your adorable offshoots to a greater ascension of literacy.”

“ _Daaad_ ,” Oscar growled, “can you not out-vocab someone right now?”

“Why, look, Oz,” Qrow smiled broadly, “a teenager is embarrassed.”

“Oh that is such a shock,” Ozpin said in a dead, flat manner. “However will I survive the massive coronary I must be having?”

Uncle Qrow opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when his phone rang. “Sorry,” he said to the group.

That was fine. Ruby and Yang glanced at each other and nodded before turning puppy eyes to Ozpin.

“Sooooo,” they said in unison.

“Are you coming over again?” Yang asked.

“What with so many kids running around?” Ruby added, since that was Ozpin’s usual reasoning when he saw Blake, Oscar, and any other friends that came over, like Ren and Nora, or Pyrra or Jaune.

It was part of the reason Qrow’s pantry was starting to get better stocked with cookie ingredients. And both Yang and Ruby offered identical, innocent smiles.

“It’s such a _rare treat_ for you to come over,” Ruby smiled winningly.

Blake barely held in a snicker and Oscar just groaned.

Professor Ozpin offered a wide, knowing smile, his eyes soft. “Oh, that’s such a dilemma,” he said dryly. But then all amusement dropped from his face and his eyes snapped to her uncle.

Blinking at the whiplash, Ruby turned quickly to her uncle and watched as color was draining from his face. She felt ice start to drip down her spine. “Uncle Qrow?” she asked softly.

“Are you sure?” he said to the phone. “ _Shit_ . It wasn’t supposed to come up for another three years. _When_?”

Silence settled over the group.

Then Yang surged forward, “This is about my _mom_ , isn’t it?”

But Uncle Qrow, pale and wide-eyed, held her back, focused on the phone. “Back off, firecracker,” he said firmly.

Yang was already reaching around him for the phone. Ruby stared for a second before grabbing Yang’s arm and pulling her back. “Wait,” she hissed into her ear. “He’ll explain once he’s off the phone, right now, you’re _preventing him from getting information_.”

That was the only thing that pulled Yang back, but her eyes were glowing in fury.

“Yeah… Yeah…. _I know_ ….” Qrow gave a long heavy sigh. “I’ll start calling around. I’ve got time till my shift, and I’ll make the rounds. You finish your work, Tai…. Yeah… _Yes_ , I’ll be calling Clover. After this little bombshell, I’m going to need you, Clover, anyone I can find to keep me sober.”

Ruby staggered back. She _remembered_ when Qrow drank. She _remembered_ how he was, and after The Intervention, he worked hard on _not_ drinking. He had no problem talking about needing a drink, to the point that it was (almost) a joke. But she had _never_ heard him say he needed help staying sober, he was supposed to be _past_ that point.

“Uncle Qrow,” she said, reaching out.

But Qrow’s jaw was tight, and he was pinching his brow against a headache. A vein in his neck was pulsing, and then he stood straight and turned to them. “The disaster part of my title is currently in full effect…” Then it seemed he noticed everyone. “Ahhhhh…”

Ozpin smiled warmly and put his free hand on Qrow’s shoulder. “I was just discussing it with the children,” he said lightly. “They’ll all be coming over to my place. Chocolate crinkles,” he turned and offered a smile to them all, “I believe that’s what we decided to bake today?”

Ruby blinked, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

“Yeah,” Oscar piped up, smiling just as broadly. “I think everyone’s really hungry, right? We’re going to do a science experiment. Compare a new cocoa powder my dad got that’s supposed to be real high quality with a control group of the usual cocoa powder.”

Blake had narrow eyes again and Ruby was just questioning what the heck had happened.

“That… sounds like a good idea,” Qrow said, blinking. “Are you sure, Ozpin?”

And Professor Ozpin’s smile was gentle and understanding. “I am. Get things sorted. Either your or Mr. Xiao Long can come pick them up.” He turned to them. “Ms. Belladonna, you might want to text your family about the change in plans. Do you need me to provide my phone number for them?”

Qrow’s shoulders dropped a little from the tension. “Thanks, Oz.” And he offered the briefest of smiles and Ruby took a moment to marvel.

“Yang, more info once you’re home,” Qrow stated. “For now, just let things be. Answers will be coming once we know more. Basics: your mom’s healthy, alive, and not in any trouble.”

Yang was still scowling, but she nodded. “Sure, okay.”

Then Qrow pulled them in close for a bear of a hug, messed up both of their hair, and dropped into his junky car and started the engine.

“Now,” Ozpin said lightly. “Shall we bake some cookies?”

* * *

It was an almost surreal experience, Ruby thought. In the main living room Yang and Blake were huddled together on the couch, and Ruby was certain that Yang was giving their new friend the run-down of Raven Branwen. Meanwhile, Oscar and Ozpin were indeed doing a science experiment with cookies and Ruby was helping them with the batters.

This was not how she was planning her day to go.

“This is going to make over a hundred cookies,” Ruby said, pulling out the first batch of cookie dough from the fridge where it had been chilling to “let the flavors enhance”. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure we’re going to eat a lot of them, but… what are you going to _do_ with all of them?”

“Bribe the rest of my department,” Ozpin replied promptly, opening the fridge to put in their last batch of cookie dough to chill.

“Er, what?”

“Dad has always had a reputation of passing out cookies, at every university he’s worked at,” Oscar said, measuring out powdered sugar to a bowl. “Baking’s kinda always been a thing for the two of us.”

“A little good will can also go a long way,” Ozpin said, using a cookie scoop on the dough that Ruby had pulled out. “For all that we preach that being liked doesn’t matter, people _are_ more willing to help those they like than a random stranger. So when we do large batches like this, my colleagues remember I exist and perhaps offer some good of their own to someone.”

“Dad,” Oscar took the doughball that Ozpin had dropped into the powdered sugar and rolled it around, coating, “don’t do that to yourself. You’ve always been the most dependable member of the department.”

“What of you, Ruby?” Ozpin dodged. “Do you have many friends, or are you more of a hermit?”

Ruby took the cookie Oscar had coated and set it onto parchment paper to await the cookie tray. “I have friends,” she replied. “But I was advanced into Yang’s grade, so it’s always a little… awkward.”

“That explains why schoolwork is always so easy for you,” Ozpin said lightly, dropping another ball of dough into Oscar’s sugar, continuing the assembly line.

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “It’s fine, but it can be a lot of work to keep up with it. Being nitpicked doesn’t help,” she grumbled.

“Nitpicked?” Oscar asked, passing her another coated cookie.

“Yeah,” Ruby said, filling up a cookie tray and putting it to the oven and setting the timer. “Eight minutes?”

“Nine would be better with that oven,” Ozpin replied. “So you have a critic?”

“Ugh,” Ruby snorted. “Understatement. Weiss Schnee was born to make my life as difficult as possible.”

Both Oscar and Ozpin chuckled. “What?” Ruby asked. “She does!”

Ozpin shook his head. “Nothing, Ms. Rose. Just a difference in experience.” He passed another cookie down the line. “‘Schnee’ you said? I wonder if she has a sister named Winter.”

“She does,” Ruby grumbled. “Talks like her sister can walk on water or fly or something.”

“Hmmmmm. You must invite her over at some point. I would very much like to meet her.”

“No way.”

Ozpin chuckled.

They continued in silence for a time, just quiet music playing while Yang and Blake continued to talk in hushed tones in the living room. The silence… wasn’t awkward, exactly. This wasn’t the first time Ozpin had set up a baking line, and once focused on the work, it could get quiet, but….

That phone call was hanging over them. Yang was talking about it to Blake, Ruby had no doubt about that, and Ruby wanted to know what was going on, same as Yang. But she couldn’t know _now_ , they had to wait.

The timer went off and Ruby pulled out the cookie sheet and set another timer for two minutes to let the cookies set before moving them to a cooling rack.

She sighed.

“Uncle Qrow… Dad… They don’t talk about it,” she said.

Oscar and Ozpin glanced at each other, but neither said anything, letting Ruby either stop or continue.

She was glad for that.

“We always knew Yang’s mom was arrested, like only a few years after she was born. We know that she _left_ after Yang was born.”

The timer went off and she put the cookies onto the cooling rack and set up the next batch and put them into the oven.

The assembly line continued and it was… oddly soothing.

“Dad was really messed up that she left. Like, _bad_. Uncle Qrow chased after her. I think he maybe got it? Uncle Qrow doesn’t talk much about growing up, only that they were headed for bad things and that he chose to leave.” Neither Yang nor Ruby ever wanted to ask more on the rare occasions Qrow mentioned it. There was something in his eye. Something regretful, and dark, and pained. They had both understood that if they asked, Qrow would answer. But they both were kind of scared what the answer would be when he got that look in his eye.

“It’s not like Dad or Uncle Qrow keep secrets or anything. They’ve both answered any question we’ve asked but…”

Oscar didn’t hand her a cookie. The assembly line had stopped, and Ruby couldn’t help but look at Oscar.

“But… you instinctively know there’s a line you _don’t_ cross.”

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded. “I think it would hurt Uncle Qrow too much. And he would hurt all over if we asked, because he would just answer, like he does with everything else.”

Oscar was grimacing at the bowl, then he just stepped back to wash his hands and left.

Ruby blinked. “Ummmm, what? I’m sorry? Was it something I said?”

Ozpin let out a heavy sigh. “No, Ms. Rose. Nothing like that. As I said earlier, a difference in experience.”

“Ahhhh…”

“Oscar and I are both familiar with someone in constant pain who will make certain that others suffer as well.” Ozpin dropped another doughball into the powdered sugar and Ruby had to take over Oscar’s job. “That your uncle will let himself suffer so that others don’t is unfamiliar to the two of us. Or perhaps,” Ozpin said more quietly. “It is far too familiar in another way.”

Ruby didn’t know how to respond to that.

She just wanted things to go back to normal.

Little did she realize the explosion that would happen when her dad and Qrow dropped Blake off and started to drive them home.

* * *

“So your mom is in jail?” Blake asked, gold eyes wide.

“Yeah,” Yang said, her body full of energy. “And they won’t tell me why.”

“But I don’t understand,” Blake said, “Why would they tell you your mom is in jail but not tell you why.”

“Because they weren’t even going to tell me _that_ ,” Yang growled. “She came up for parole when we were kids, and they were talking about it at night when they thought I was asleep. I asked what it was about and Uncle Qrow started swearing at me to get upstairs. All they said was that she was in jail. And this was after telling me my whole life that Summer Rose was my mom.”

“Wait, who?”

“Ruby’s mom,” Yang said. “We have different moms.”

“Oh…” Blake said. “I didn’t realize.”

“Yeah, we didn’t either until I was ten,” Yang replied, running a hand through her hair. “Ruby had a nightmare and I had to drag her down to get some water, and Dad and Uncle Qrow were talking about my mom and what they were gonna do. Dad even admitted that she was my mom. She was arrested like three months after I was born, that she’d already left us, and they didn’t say why. All they said was they would tell me what happened at her next parole. That’s now, I guess, and I want to know what happened.”

“Then I guess you’ll learn when you go home,” Blake said, reaching out and touching Yang’s hand. Her fingers were warm, and Yang smiled.

An hour later Blake left, saying her boyfriend was waiting for her and she couldn’t keep him waiting; so Yang got up and saw her out, Blake waving as she started walking down the street. Not long after that Ruby came in with a plate of cookies, Professor Ozpin and Oscar joining her.

“Any word?” Professor Oz asked.

“No,” Yang grumbled.

He seemed to understand, nodded and settled into his designated chair, propping his leg up. “Fear not,” he said once he was comfortable. “I’m sure you’ll learn everything you need to in due time.”

“And just what is ‘due time,’ huh?” Yang asked, prickled that some guy was talking like he knew _anything_.

“Ah,” he said, “That’s the thing about due time, one doesn’t know when it’s due until it’s due. It keeps us guessing, on our toes, until at last the knowledge appears; and often with it - wisdom.”

“Well it better come fast,” Yang said, crossing her arms.

Not even ten minutes later was a knock at the door. Oscar, silent up to now and staring at his knees the whole time, jumped to his feet to get it. Yang spun around on the couch, Ruby too, and both of them blinked when they saw _both_ Dad and Uncle Qrow had come to pick them up. They’d never come together…

“Okay, girls,” Dad said, “Let’s get some supper in you. Qrow has take out.”

“Take out?” Ruby whined.

“Don’t complain, pipsqueak,” Uncle Qrow said, dark frown on his face. “Neither of us had time to cook.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Uncle Qrow growled. “Get in the car.”

“Are you gonna tell us about Mom?” Yang asked, standing up.

“No,” Uncle Qrow said.

“What?” Yang demanded, irate. “You said you’d tell me all about her at her next parole!”

Dad interceded, hands up. “I did say that, Yang,” he said, “But we thought it would be another three years from now, when you were sixteen and old enough--”

“I’m old enough now!”

“No you’re not,” Uncle Qrow growled. “Get in the car.”

“No! Not until you tell me about Mom!”

“Yang…”

“Do you really wanna have this fight in someone _else’s_ house?” Uncle Qrow said, jutting his chin.

Yang turned, saw Oscar still staring at his knees, and Professor Ozpin very fascinated with his cane. Ruby was staring at her. Her heart was boiling, she didn’t know what to do with herself, but she finally got to her feet. “ _Fine_ ,” she said, and pounded out of the house to her dad’s car. Ruby followed quickly, but the adults just _talked at the door_ , they were _making her wait_ , and Yang wasn’t sure how much more she could take. She pressed her foot against the driver’s seat, arms crossed as the adults talked. They _finally_ got in the car, and neither of them said a word as Dad put the car in gear and they pulled out of the driveway.

Yang waited until they were out of sight of the house. “Okay,” she said, “I’m thirteen years old and old enough to know why my mom’s in _jail_.”

“No you are not, little dragon,” Tai said, eyes on the road. “And neither of us are going to say anything, so you can’t sic Qrow on me later.”

“But _why_?” Yang demanded. “You’re not being fair!”

“Yes we are,” Qrow said, turning in the passenger seat to face her. “Listen pipsqueak. There are some things you just don’t tell kids, and what Raven did was one of them.”

“I’m not a _kid_ anymore,” Yang said. “I’m _thirteen_!”

“Who still hasn’t admitted she has a crush on the Belladonna girl,” Uncle Qrow said.

“What does _that_ have to do with anything?”

“It has to do with emotional maturity,” Uncle Qrow said. “You know, that thing I had to learn the hard way when you two and Tai decided to spring an intervention on me? I did a lot of learning in the last five years, and one thing I know for _sure_ is the stuff Raven did isn’t approved for all audiences - not even teen and up - and you are _not_ learning why she’s away until you show us that you _can_ handle what she did.”

“But how can I show you that I can handle it if I don’t _know_?” Yang demanded.

“Because as adults we know what we’re looking for,” Dad said. “Stop fighting us on this, please. The next two months are going to be hard enough as it is.”

“Well maybe it _should_ be!” Yang retaliated. “Since apparently all you want to do is make it hard for _me!_ ”

“Ya--”

“Not now Ruby,” Yang said, only sparing her sister a passing glance. “Do you two have any idea what it’s like to grow up knowing your mom is so terrible your family doesn’t even _talk_ about her? I grew thinking Summer Rose was my mom! Were you ever gonna tell me if I didn’t bring Ruby down that night?”

“No,” Uncle Qrow said, right as Dad said,

“We’ll never know now, will we?”

Ugh, they weren’t listening!

“It’s not fair!” Yang was shouting now. “You aren’t supposed to keep secrets from family! We’re supposed to know everything!”

Dad was still driving, but Uncle Qrow leaned forward, apparently fed up. “You wanna know everything?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “You wanna know why I drank when you were younger? You wanna know how bad it got? You wanna know how your dad had to find me passed out in an alley? You wanna know I was drunk at Summer’s memorial? You wanna know why Raven _drove me to do that_ even from behind _bars_?”

Yang froze, her ears suddenly burning. What…? What did Uncle Qrow have to do with Mom…? With the drinking…?

Yang shook her head. “That just makes me want to know all the _more!_ ”

Uncle Qrow growled. “Then I guess I’m just a living disappointment, aren’t I?” he said. “Sorry to rain on your parade, but stuff like this isn’t broadcast on national television. You gotta _earn_ the right to find out what that witch did, and if you keep acting like this you’re never getting the story!”

“That’s not _fair!!_ I _hate_ you!”

“Then just get in line, firecracker, ‘cause you’re not the first.”

“Please…”

Everyone looked at Ruby, her hands covering her ears.

“Ruby,” Uncle Qrow said,immediately soft, “I’m sorry you had to hear that…”

The last ten minutes of the drive was quiet, but that didn’t mean Yang wasn’t still seething - she just didn’t want her sister to be hurt. Instead, she made sure she was the first one out of the car - before it had even finished parking - and burst into the house, throwing her backpack to the floor and marching right to her room. She slammed the door for emphasis and threw herself onto her bed and pulled out her phone.

 _They decided not to tell me ANYTHING_ , she texted.

Blake: _Wait, im w my bf._

She stared at her phone, legs pumping behind her.

 _Ok im in the bathroom_.

 _Dad and Uncle Qrow said they won’t tell me anything! They said I’m not grown up enough. It’s so unfair!_

_did you yell at thm?_

_Yes! They deserved it!_

_Then thats why. You shoulve kept yr cool._

Yang blinked at the phone. _As if!!!!!!!!_ , she typed.

_Bf at the door cant talk nymore_

_Seriously? Is he more important than me?_

_Dont want him mad gotta go talk latr bye_

Yang shoved her phone away and grabbed her pillow to scream into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and we yoyo from fluff back to drama again. Weiss starts to be introduced, and Yang's story starts to spin. Though we are uber OzQrow shippers we didn't want to ignore the kids, and we are very fond of team RWBY, and they will get story lines that bounce around and off of each other and the adults.
> 
> Side note: We had a lovely chat with TigerMoon and they has given us their blessing to keep posting so long as we give credit. They are listed as inspiration on Ao3 and we added their fic, Promises of an Unknown Coast, in our summary on ff dot net for credit. If you haven't read that fic, read it first - that at least has an outline, unlike this mess :)
> 
> Not much to say about this chapter otherwise, it's set up for some events both for Yang but also of the OzQrow relationship that makes us happy. Bigger bits coming up later.
> 
> See you next week.


	4. Chapter 4

Ozpin pulled into Qrow's parking lot and parked, then sat back in his car. Oscar was home and would be fine. But Ozpin could only remember Qrow being there after Salem had spent a day following him around campus. He wanted to do the same. He doubted he was equipped to do so, but Qrow deserved to have someone there for him after the brightness he'd brought into Ozpin's life.

So with a heavy sigh, Ozpin got out and tapped the keypad at the door to ring Qrow.

" _Yeah, whoizzit?_ " came the staticy voice.

"Hello, Qrow," he replied.

" _Ozpin?_ "

"You'll pardon the unannounced visit, I hope," Ozpin said lightly. "But I have brought delicacies to help assuage any inconveniences you might suffer from my arrival?"

" _Ergh, it's too damn early for your vocabulary. Come one up._ "

There was a buzz and Ozpin entered and started the arduous climb up to the third floor where Qrow's apartment was located. Normally when he made this climb, it was helping Qrow with all the children that could gather, and Oscar was usually there to help him if needed. Ozpin doubted anyone noticed the extra support.

Then, to Ozpin's surprise, Qrow met him on the first landing and offered an arm, taking Ozpin's basket of baked goods on the other hand. "Thank you," he said softly.

"You made the effort to get here," Qrow replied. "I can at least help you up."

Qrow's apartment was always comfortably lived in, to Ozpin's eyes, whereas his was always pristine like a magazine. He envied the touches that Qrow had. A stack of mail on a counter or end table in various states of opening and being dealt with, a phone charging on the counter with plates in the sink that hadn't been cleaned yet. All signs that someone lived. Ozpin was too conditioned to keep everything neat and clean if someone ever came over. (No one ever had, until he'd moved here, and Qrow and his nieces were his most frequent guests…) Qrow brought the basket to the kitchen, set it down and opened the dishwasher to pull out some clean dishes to pull out the loaf of bread that Ozpin had baked that morning.

"I apologize for arriving on a weekend," Ozpin stated, carefully sitting in the armchair that Qrow always set him to. "But I thought you might need a friend after this week."

Indeed, after Qrow's phone call, every day he had looked more and more ragged as Yang looked more and more furious and Ruby looked more and more strained.

"Ah, yeah that would be obvious," Qrow muttered, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes. "Sorry, did a double shift yesterday and I'm still catching up on sleep."

"Quite alright," Ozpin said. "You once just sat and let me talk. It helped. I offer the same. We can either exchange barbs and fling sharpened wit, or you can talk. Whatever you need, let me know."

Qrow stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Ozpin. There was a sideways smile. "You know, after I did that for you, I was talking to my sponsor and he mentioned that I might have pushed too far. That I kinda forced you to talk when you weren't ready. Good to know I didn't mess up that bad."

Ozpin gave a small smile. "I hadn't spoken to anyone about my past since coming here. Having to explain everything to the dean and then to my department was more exhausting and generated more shame that I had thought it would. You didn't require an explanation, you merely offered empathy and understanding. It made all the difference in the world. Having a choice always matters."

And it did matter. Empathy and understanding. The dean hadn't understood the trauma or abuse, but had understood that a restraining order was in effect and the legalities involved. His department was far more mixed. There was sympathy a plenty, but the tendency of platitudes. The sort of words that would fit most situations: "everyone has skeletons in the closet" or "life always has challenges" that showed that there wasn't _understanding_ , and, no matter how unintentional, normalized what he and Oscar had gone through.

It had taken a long time for Ozpin to realize that his life wasn't normal. To have someone offer such platitudes like what he and Oscar had survived was just a normal part of life cut Ozpin to shreds every time. It was why he never spoke of it. He never wanted to face that.

But Qrow _did_ understand. He spoke more freely of his own traumas, though detail was always sparing, and he didn't force Ozpin to discuss it. Merely asked what Ozpin needed. If he hadn't already been exhausted and drained, he might have leaked some tears over such generosity.

How could he not offer the same?

"You know, this isn't the first time you've waxed philosophically about choice," Qrow said, arranging the cookies on a new plate.

"I am a philosophy professor," Ozpin offered dryly.

Qrow barked out a laugh and set a kettle on the stove, then put a can of soda in the freezer.

"So, you're here for whatever I need?"

"Yes," Ozpin replied.

"Unfortunately what I need is something I can't have."

"Alcohol?" Ozpin said sadly.

Qrow nodded, leaning against the fridge. "I can taste it, I need it so bad. Hell, I can _smell_ it. I know the buzz and I know that if I blackout, that means I won't be aware of everything going on. And right now, that's very tempting."

Ozpin nodded. "Times of duress would generate carvings of comforts."

"That would be an understatement." The kettle went off and Qrow pulled out the soda from the freezer and poured the kettle into a mug. He stepped back to the living room and sat by Ozpin at the end of the couch. He handed a mug of - Ozpin sniffed - hot chocolate, over and opened his soda.

"I take it that your new comfort food of choice is ice-cold soda?"

"Carbonation doesn't even come close to the proper burn of alcohol," Qrow replied. "But club soda is about as close as I'm willing to get."

Ozpin nodded and allowed himself to savor the hot chocolate. _Mmmmm_ , that even tasted like the brand he was fond of.

Qrow was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, staring at his can. "You know, I don't think I've ever had to really explain my sister to anyone after Clover."

"Your sponsor?"

He nodded. "Everyone else who was important was there when all that shit went down. They understood. Clover needed me to explain, but he also had my friends there to fill in gaps."

"You don't have to," Ozpin said softly. "Today is about what you need. If you don't want to bring up such dark memories, that's understandable."

"Yeah, but Yang's going to need to be told someday," Qrow leaned back and sipped his soda. "I suppose this can be a dry run. She isn't anywhere close to mature enough for it."

Ozpin merely offered his attention, let Qrow stare at his soda in contemplation, and waited.

"You may have picked up that Raven and I didn't grow up in the best of homes."

"You've mentioned."

Qrow nodded. "Con artists. We were born and raised as con-artists. The occasional burglary if we weren't good enough. But a good con? Easy as breathing. We knew how to play up any emotion needed, what angle to sell, how to weasel money out of everyone and anyone. Never went to school, everything we needed our parents taught us. Enough math to fake numbers on the stock market and how to estimate the amount we'd con people out of, enough literacy to make fake legal documents, a whole lot of acting and manipulation. Our final exam was conning our way into college."

"Given you're not in jail either, I'd assume you didn't stay in that way of life." Ozpin watched. Because Qrow was always unerringly honest about his flaws, and Ozpin couldn't imagine him not alluding to it in some way.

"I wasn't cut out for it as much as Raven," Qrow replied. "I've always been cursed with bad luck. If anything ever went wrong on a con, it could always be traced back to me. I paid for those errors. Every time."

Salem flashed across Ozpin's mind and he winced. "I understand," he said heavily.

"Yeah. You do." Qrow looked to him and offered his first real smile. "Tai can get it, or at least most of it, but there are pieces…"

Ozpin nodded. "Unless one was there, it is unfathomable."

Qrow's smile widened. "Yup. That's why you get it. Maybe not the flavor of every piece, but you get it. Clover doesn't get that level of messed up either, but he's worked with enough people like me to grasp the pieces." He took a large gulp of his soda. "Anyway, in college we met Tai and Summer. Best thing to ever happen to us."

Ozpin nodded.

"Life kept going, and Raven and Tai got close, especially with Summer and I egging them on. We all got our damn degrees and instead of going out to con the world, I just went out and got a regular job. It may not have paid as much as a con, but it was… easier. Less pressure, less stress. Tai and Raven settled. Yang was born."

Qrow's smile was rueful and Ozpin reached out to put a hand on Qrow's knee in reassurance.

"Only what you need to say," he repeated softly. "You need go no further, you can stop, you can escort me out, whatever you need."

Qrow nodded and was silent for a while. Ozpin watched eyes water, and simply squeezed.

"Raven left. I kinda saw it coming."

"Oh?"

"We suddenly had a bundle of love that needed us. Raven couldn't reconcile being a parent to Yang, not with what we knew of how to live." Qrow shook his head. "Raven couldn't trust feelings. We'd learned how to fake them so well, she couldn't believe that Tai wanted to be with her, or that Yang would love her, or that any of it was real. She didn't know how to raise Yang like an actual _mother_. So she left."

Ozpin nodded. "That would have been devastating."

"It was. Tai was a mess. Summer had to look after him while I went hunting for Raven. Took almost a year, but I knew all her tricks."

"You found her." It wasn't a question. It was dread.

"Yeah," Qrow said, still staring into memories. "She was with a girl. Vernal. Good kid, if rough around the edges like the two of us. Raven looked happy with her, like she had with Tai."

Qrow took another gulp of his soda. His jaw was tense and strained. Ozpin offered another encouraging squeeze of the knee.

"I didn't realize it at first. I was just pissed at her and trying to get her to come back home. Vernal was thrown for a loop that Raven had a daughter. It was a big, three-way argument." Qrow let out a heavy sigh and let his head fall back on the couch. "I spent six months there. Kept Tai and Summer up to date. Tai wasn't sure he really wanted Raven back anymore, but he was worried more about Yang and her not having a mother. I was just pissed that she'd left, even though I understood that she got gunshy. Hell, I got gunshy too, but I stuck around because, well, Yang. You don't abandon family. That was the one thing Raven and I understood growing up, was that we only had each other. That she up and left hurt and that she left her own daughter was worse. Me? I'm a bad-luck disaster, but I could take care of myself. Yang?" Qrow let out an angry breath and then another. "Vernal was pissed that Raven hadn't mentioned any of this. Raven was pissed I'd shown up and dragged up all the 'baggage' as she termed it."

Ozpin shook his head sadly.

"I stayed for a while trying to talk sense into her. But… I also saw that she was happy. Granted, she'd been happy with Tai as well, but Vernal had an edge to her that Raven connected to. An edge that Tai and Summer didn't have. An edge that I was losing. Because we were a family."

Letting out a sigh, Ozpin shook his head. "Having a family doesn't lose one's edge. Merely diverts it to protection." Ozpin himself knew that he would do anything to protect Oscar. Including being homeless for almost a month, moving across country, starting fresh, and the long legal battle of winning sole custody and getting a restraining order.

"I've learned that," Qrow said. "Anyway, what I had initially thought was that Raven was doing a con. After all, she had left, she would have reverted back to what we knew best. But the longer I was there, the happier she was, I started to doubt myself. I thought it wasn't a con, it was Raven finding a different path after getting cold feet. I started to believe that she and Vernal were good together."

"But it was a con?"

"Oh yeah." Qrow knocked back another gulp of soda. "What I didn't realize was that Raven was also extending the con to me. She was playing me. After that big fight, she started using me to get further and further into Vernal's good graces. 'Poor me, I'm so scared I left my daughter, I'm so scared of commitment, if only it was with the right person.' Shit like that.

"And I didn't recognize it because we _never_ conned each other. That was the rule."

"She betrayed your trust."

"Pshh. Yeah, that's putting it mildly." Qrow looked directly at Ozpin. "Imagine my surprise when Vernal wound up dead."

Ozpin went cold.

"My sister had wound her way into Vernal's good graces, played trusting and needy and understanding, and validating, then inherited everything with Vernal's death, decrying that she didn't deserve it and would give it to charity."

"Oh, Qrow."

"I saw it for what it was. Taught the cops all the tricks she'd have likely used. And she was arrested."

"And now she's up for parole."

"Yup." Qrow looked coldly at his soda. "Remeber, con-artist. It would be child's play to be the good girl in prison, play at sympathy about missing her daughter, and come up early. It happened a few years ago. Tai and I had to get Vernal's family and friends to come up and bring up all this shit to make sure her parole was denied. And now we have to do it all over again."

No wonder Qrow wanted to get blackout drunk. That betrayal by family, _murder_ instead of theft, running away from her own daughter.

So much pain.

Scars on the soul indeed.

Ozpin squeezed Qrow's knee again and finally leaned back to ease the pain of his lower back.

"Did I mention enough literacy to fake legal documents? I had to fight to get all Vernal's inheritance back to her family. Raven didn't deserve it and I didn't want it. Tai didn't want Yang to inherit that blood money either."

A good stiff drink sounded ideal but that wasn't an option. "I may be presuming too much, but I think some proper screaming and vulgarity might help you purge some of the excessive emotional storm you're dealing with right now."

Qrow gave a flat look. "Neighbors," he retorted.

So Ozpin wrestled getting up, went to the kitchen, and took the plate of cookies that Qrow had left there and headed to the door, and offered a dark smile. "I'm going to bribe some neighbors that you need to vent and to not make a fuss about it. If you need different languages for some of what you need to say, I do know some particularly good profanities that would be most apropos to this situation. I'll be right back."

Behind him he heard a murmured, "I'll be damned."

* * *

"A play…?" Ruby whined, glancing next to the desk next to her and her year-long partner.

"Yes, a play," Weiss said, nodding stoutly. "It's clearly the best way to meet all the objectives of the project. I am, of course, used to performing in front of people, so I suppose I'll have to be the lead."

"You just want all the attention."

"I do _not_ ," she sniffed, crossing her arms. "I'll have you know I've performed at charity events for Father."

"You know, that doesn't exactly make you _more_ relatable," Ruby said.

"Well! I can't help you being uncultured."

And that was when the thought bloomed in her head, the brightest of ideas and perhaps the best way to put Weiss in her place. She straightened in her chair and turned to face her fully. "I don't think I'm uncultured," she said brightly. "I have a college professor as a friend. He and Uncle Qrow are probably outside right now waiting for us."

"Oh, _please_ , as _if_."

"Well, you can come meet him if you want," Ruby said brightly. "That is, if you're not scared."

"Hmph! I'm not scared of anything," Weiss sniffed.

Gotcha. Ruby was happy as a clam for the rest of the class, knowing that Professor Ozpin would definitely put Weiss in her place, give her a sniff of respect for Ruby, and probably a good week's worth of teasing. It was the perfect plan!

When the school day ended, Ruby waited at the doors, Yang with her and Blake texting furiously on her phone and making a face. "Sorry," she said, looking up. "I have to go. My boyfriend's waiting for me."

"Hey, why not have him come with us?" Yang asked.

Blake shook her head. "He doesn't like kids," she said.

Ruby blinked. "But _you're_ a kid."

Blake smiled. "He thinks I'm _mature_."

"Ouch," Yang said, wincing. "What a high opinion of the rest of us. You should definitely bring him over some time. We'll show him how 'mature' we all are."

Blake laughed gently, waving as she moved down the steps and to the far side of the buses.

"Hey guys," Oscar said, joining the group. His shoulders were slumped again. Uh-oh.

"Were Jaune and Winchester bothering you again?" she asked.

Oscar didn't say anything, just shook his head.

"Okay," Weiss said by way of introduction. "Let's see if you really know a college professor."

"Hi, Weiss," Ruby said brightly, happy at the thought of showing her up for even five minutes. "Let's go everyone!"

As predicted, there were Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin, one in the handicapped spot and the other next to it. Uncle Qrow was still sitting on the hood of his car, even in the early winter air.

"What is he _doing_?" Weiss asked, aghast.

"Keeping warm," Uncle Qrow said without missing a beat, knocking on the hood of his car. "Engine's still warm."

"That makes no sense," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Wouldn't it be easier to stay in the car after the heater's been on?"

Uncle Qrow snorted. "You're assuming this clunker has a working heater," he said, sliding off the hood of the car. "Who's the wet blanket, pipsqueak?"

"Uncle Qrow, this is Weiss. Weiss, this is Uncle Qrow, the coolest uncle to ever exist."

"Nice to meet the girl who keeps bullying my niece."

"I do _not_ -!"

"Not the way she tells it, princess," Uncle Qrow said. "You joining the party?"

"I'm here to see the supposed professor that Ruby knows," Weiss said.

"Oh, that would be me," Professor Ozpin said, arm around Oscar's shoulders. He shifted his weight and extended a gloved hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I can see the stark resemblance to your sister Winter. I'm Professor Ozpin Ozma."

And then the most beautiful thing happened:

Weiss was speechless.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth parted in an oh, and stood stock still. Ruby quickly grabbed her phone to take a picture. Oh, this was _delicious_.

"D-D-D-Doctor Ozma!" she very nearly shouted. She covered her mouth at her volume. "Sir! I mean, professor! I mean…!"

Yang leaned in to Ruby. "This is amazing," she whispered. "I didn't think she could be flustered."

Weiss's white-blond head spun around. "You didn't tell me you knew an _ivy league_ professor!" she hissed.

And Ruby, just for fun, decided to play dumb: tilting her head and asking: "What do you mean by ivy league?"

The strangled noise that came out of Weiss' throat was music to Ruby's ears. "That's Dr. Ozpin Ozma!" she said, waving an accusatory finger. "He's the head of philosophy at Berkeley! He's published books and given lectures all around the world! _What is he doing here?_ "

"Picking up my son," Professor Ozpin said smoothly. "And I should offer one small correction to your recitation: _former_ head of philosophy."

"You _left_? _Why_?"

Professor Ozpin smiled and tapped his bad leg with his cane. "A lot happened," he said smoothly, "and I wasn't really happy there." Oscar looked down, something Ruby noticed he did a lot whenever the professor referenced the past. "I work at Beacon now."

" _Beacon_?" Weiss said. "A trashy state school?"

"Oh, hardly 'trashy,' Miss Schnee," he said, and Ruby quickly covered her mouth. She knew that tone. "Education of any form is valuable and not to be taken for granted. Berkely does bring excellent technical education, yes, but there are entire fields that they don't touch in the day-to-day grind: professionalism, effort, encouragement, understanding the human condition. Beacon, however, does value those critical aspects. The students there understand the value of the money they are putting into their education, and they make whatever they can of it, rather than bragging about their admission and thinking they no longer need to apply themselves. It's always best to work where one is needed, is it not? Where one can do the most good? Good, I feel I must remark, is not equivalent to wealth, though I know from personal experience that that is the only measure your father is interested in - and for that I am deeply sorry; because it means there are entire swaths of the world he knows nothing about."

Weiss was clearly beside herself, torn between respect for a man of apparent renown (Ruby made a note to ask questions) and the reactionary need to defend her family.

"Tell me, how is Miss Winter Schnee?" Ozpin asked. "I understand she chose to go to Atlas Securities for work."

Weiss squeaked.

Ruby got it all on video.

* * *

"... Little Red Riding Hood?" Weiss asked. "What are we, kindergarteners?"

" _No_ ," Ruby said, still pleased with herself. "This will be a _modern_ interpretation. I can wear my red hoodie, Blake can be the big bad wolf, and Yang can be the hunter who swoops in and saves the day!"

"And what would I be?"

"The narrator!"

" _What?_ "

"Wow, chill," Yang said. "It's not the end of the world."

"I have the most experience in performing! I should be the lead!"

Yang pursed her lips, getting irritated again. It was, like, her default mood or something. They sat around the coffee table at Professor Ozpin's house, Oscar in his room doing homework and the professor getting ready for the end of the semester or something. Yang got the impression he didn't really have time to look after a bunch of girls, and she was suspicious on why he was doing it - her current bet with herself was that he was keeping her away from Uncle Qrow so she would try to get answers out of him. That irritated her, and she tried to glare daggers down the hall where his office was. She put her attention back on Weiss. "Besides," she added. "With all your 'experience' it only makes sense that you'd be the narrator. You'd be reading the most lines and we'd be pantomiming the motions give or take a line or too, that lines up with the rubric, doesn't it?"

"I… suppose," Weiss said, sitting back down. She reached over and took another sugar cookie.

"The professor makes the best cookies," Ruby said, taking two.

"Don't get distracted," Weiss huffed. "How do we stage it? What kind of audience will we have?"

"Weiss, it's a _play_ , a ten minute _skit_ for a teacher."

"That doesn't mean we should do any less than our best," she sniffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Maybe if the narration was done via song, at least then the teacher could appreciate the professionalism of the _skit_ ," she used the word like a curse.

"Gee," Yang said, head in her hand, "Why don't we get a butler to do the stage lighting, too?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, I don't want to put more pressure on Klein."

Ruby choked on her water bottle, and Yang was equally floored. "You mean you actually _have_ a butler?"

Weiss blinked at them, equally surprised. " _No_ , I do _not_ ," she said vehemently. "Klein's my parents' personal assistant."

"Oh, my god, she has a butler."

" _No_ …"

"Weiss has a butler! Oscar! You won't believe it! Weiss has a _butler_! She really _is_ a princess!"

Yang looked up to see Oscar come in with a new plate of cookies, eyes wide and blinking. "Uh… what?" he asked.

"Weiss has-"

" _Don't say another word_ ," Weiss hissed, and her face was bright pink, and Yang couldn't help but laugh at the flustered look she had. It was nice to see her off her high horse, so she of course decided to lean into it.

"You _have_ to have us over to your house!" she said. "I bet it's a mansion! Do you have maids, too? Do they come and clean the house and cook your meals? Would your dad even let a pair of 'plebeians' like us over?"

"Oooooh, do you have a _driver_? Does a limo come and pick you up? I never paid attention…"

"Would you both just _shut up!_ " Weiss shouted, lifting herself to her knees again and slamming her hands on the coffee table, rattling the new plate of cookies and making Oscar freeze in place. Yang and Ruby stopped, eyes wide, and Weiss kept shouting. "You two have _no idea_ what my life is like! You both are so… so… _stupid!_ " She pushed herself to her feet and stormed out of the living room, down the hall and Yang and the others listened to the ruffling of coats and the slam of a door.

The sisters blinked, looking at each other. "... I think we went too far," Ruby said in a small voice.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Should we go talk to her?"

"Yeah," Yang said, getting to her feet. Ruby did the same, and they moved to the front door and their coats. Neither of them noticed Oscar was still frozen in place, instead braving the cold air and seeing Weiss standing at the end of the driveway. Ruby darted forward first, Yang letting her sister take the lead - she was better at this kind of stuff usually. It was her slower pace that made her realize that Weiss' cheeks were pink, and yeah, that was because it was cold, but there was a shine to them, too. Ooooh, there was too far and there was _too_ far. She winced.

"Weiss?"

"Go away," she muttered, but there wasn't any bite to it.

"Weiss, we're really sorry."

"No, really, we went too far," Ruby was staring down at her feet. "Um, we don't really know what line we crossed but we'd like to go back over the line. Errrr, back to the side we shouldn't have crossed… which means crossing the line again…. Uhhh, I think I lost the metaphor here."

There was a tapping of a cane and Yang turned to see Professor Ozpin in his overcoat limping toward them. "Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose, please head inside. Oscar needs some help with his homework."

"But we need to apolog-"

"Please," Ozpin said gently.

Yang frowned. His gentle tone was like his super-power or something. Whenever he said something that softly with that _understanding_ look, both Ruby and Yang just sorta... nodded and agreed.

* * *

Ozpin had come out of his office when he heard the shouting, spoke softly to Oscar to realize that teasing had gone too far, and grabbed his coat to head outside. Oscar was going to need reassurance and care, but Oscar was secure that Ozpin would always be there for him. It was why Ozpin had given his unbalanced hug and headed out to the girls.

They were at the end of the driveway, and it was clear Weiss wasn't going to listen to Ruby or Yang apologize for something they didn't understand. So he'd gently ushered Qrow's nieces inside so he could talk to the Schnee heiress.

"I don't want to talk to anyone," Weiss hissed. "Just leave me alone."

Ozpin merely stood beside her, looking at the salted street and the piles of snow at the sides of the road, thinking.

The hardest part of being a teacher was that one was a mandated reporter. This was more important in public schools, but college freshmen could also be seventeen. It was just that professors didn't usually have to deal with it since the students were already _away_ from whatever the issue was.

But after escaping Salem, well, Ozpin had come to know the Department of Children and Families very well, along with custody laws, paternal rights compared to maternal rights, the list went on and on. Calling DCF for investigations of physical or sexual abuse, neglect, those were things DCF could handle. There was physical evidence, scars, bruises, starvation, hospital records, all very clear admissible evidence.

Emotional and mental abuse were still viewed as abuse, but almost impossible to provide evidence of.

There was one thing Ozpin was certain of when he had Winter Schnee, age nineteen, in his class. Winter was emotionally and mentally abused. But being away was allowing her to recover. He had only had her for one class, but he made a point of checking on her when he saw her on campus, wandered by any of her classes if he knew them, and offering the tiny couch in his office if she needed a mentor. This had been before Ozpin had really realized what was happening with Salem, but he had felt that Winter was someone who needed a mentor, so he'd offered.

Looking at how Weiss spoke so glowingly of him, it was clear he'd made some sort of impression on Winter.

So he watched a car drive by, glanced at Weiss at his side. How to approach. Weiss didn't have the opportunity to be _away_ from the family in order to heal. She had to go home to it every day. Healing was going to take longer.

So he took a breath, pushed up his glasses, and said, "I had the occasion to meet the illustrious Jaques Schnee only once in my life. That was at your sister's graduation."

"Whitley and I weren't allowed to come," Weiss said softly. "It was May and we were still in school. Dad said that Mom needed to stay home to look after us."

"That, sadly, doesn't surprise me."

"He came home furious."

"No doubt," Ozpin replied. "Your sister informed him that she wouldn't be returning to the family business and staying on the West Coast to join Atlas Securities. Your father didn't take the news well."

"No," Weiss said softly.

There had been a lot of screaming and shouting before Ozpin had been able to shuffle them away from the other celebrating graduates. He got them to one of the classroom buildings before something Winter had said and turned Jaques to Ozpin to accuse him of putting fool ideas into Winter's head.

"Needless to say, I don't care much for your father."

Weiss turned, the air of offense around her like a shield. "My family is one of the-"

Ozpin raised a hand. "Your _father_ , Weiss. I don't care for your _father_. If your sister is any indication, you have a great deal of strength in your family that is admirable." Ozpin offered his own pained smile. "Indeed, I admire Winter greatly for having the strength to choose her own path."

Weiss's offense petered out, and she just started crying.

Ozpin gently put a hand on her shoulder. She was going to need to let it all out. After all, she was like Winter in that regard. And, like Qrow's nieces, she was still a child.

It took a while, and Ozpin could feel his bad leg getting more and more stiff, but as Weiss settled, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I have had to explain, both to my son, and to those two young ladies in there, that we all come from different experiences. No two people, even in the same family, have the same experiences in life. Therefore, it is our job as people to offer understanding. There are unforgivable things, and forgivable things. There are shades in between where everyone must find their moral compass. That is a matter of how each person chooses what is forgivable and unforgivable. And those choices can change as we age and grow. Life, after all, always moves and changes. Change can be scary, but that is another choice."

Weiss gave a sniff. "Are you talking about Winter or my dad?"

Ozpin turned and offered a warm smile. "Neither." He turned back. "Let's get you inside and warmed up. I believe there are two young ladies who understood that they made a mistake and want to apologize."

"Fine."

* * *

Qrow was slowly coming to the conclusion that eighty percent of his time was spent in the " _Fuck My Life_ " category of suck. He'd been forced to pull another double shift to have the time off to put on a worn pair of slacks and the only collared shirt and tie he owned to meet with the family. Not his family, he and Raven had sworn them off when they were seventeen, but the family.

Freia, Amber, little Penny and her father Dr. Poledina. She was bigger now, right about Ruby's age, and she didn't understand why everyone was so sullen to get together. Qrow leveled a look at her and glanced at Amber. "Should she be here?" he asked.

"Yes," Amber said firmly. "She deserves to be here. She's old enough to understand why she never knew her aunt."

Qrow winced, thinking about Yang and adding that to the FML category.

"I already know the story," Penny said. "Auntie Vernal got involved with a bad person, and the bad person took her money and killed her. You got her money back and gave it to us."

Flat gaze at Amber. "Left a few story details out," he said slowly.

Amber nodded, didn't even falter. "It's enough to understand," she said. "We all love Vernal."

Qrow took a deep breath in through his nose. "Okay, then. I finally got a letter saying when the parole board would meet with us, and since the world hates playing fair they set it for the fourteenth."

Freia looked up. "Valentine's Day?" she asked.

"Yeah," Qrow said, nodding. "Nine a.m."

"I'll miss school, then," Penny said.

"Don't you worry," Poledina said, patting her daughter's hand. "We'll let the school secretaries know well in advance."

Qrow looked to Amber. "You sure that's a good idea?" he asked. "Raven will be there."

Amber nodded, holding her daughter's other hand. Could hardly notice the facial scars anymore. "She's ready."

Qrow snorted, not out of malice but because the Poledina family was so much stronger than him. "Still haven't figured out if Yang's ready," he said, leaning back on the couch, the cloth of the slip cover folding and crimping along his back. "You all holding up okay?"

"Yes," Amber said. "This is just part of the process."

Qrow nodded, not able to really do anything else. He stood, and the women did the same, Qrow taking each of their hands and shaking Poledina's from his wheelchair. At least it wasn't a triple homicide, he reminded himself, that had to count for something - scars and wheelchairs notwithstanding. God he needed a drink.

He sent Clover a text - he'd started doing that almost daily, reminding himself of his five year coin and how far he'd come. He needed to keep it together, but seeing the family… He could still remember the call from the police, seeing the Poledina's in the hospital and hearing that one would never walk again and one would be horribly scarred. It sucked and sucked _bad_ , the biggest entry in his FML category of suck, and that was when the drinking had gone from a problem to something much worse. He didn't like thinking about that time in his life, and he was pissed that Raven had applied for parole so early and that the board was actually considering it.

Settling into his junker he drove to the school to pick up the girls. Oz had been missing for weeks - something about Wintersession or some such - and he'd all but disappeared from his handicap spot, Oscar now taking the bus just as often as he came with Ruby and Yang.

Qrow parked and leaned on the steering wheel, thinking about his old flask and the weight of it in his hand and how easy it would be to just have one nip to take the edge off. Grunting, he shook his head and grabbed his phone. Games. Playing games would help. The girls would help, too, they were a great distraction. He forced himself to get lost in the world of connecting dots and tossing little circles on a screen, angling shots and predicting how new layers would fall. Mindless puzzle games to dig into part of his brain and calm it down. It was dull, but it made him dull, too, and he needed the numbness for a little while.

The bell rang, finally, and he got out of the car and into the cold, red scarf wrapped around his neck and halfway up his face as the swell of tweens flooded out the doors and onto the buses. The new girl was with them, Schnee or something. No Blake for Yang to moon over, and no Oscar, meaning he was on a bus.

"Uncle Qrooooow!" Ruby pounced on him and finally, _finally_ , he could put away the FML category of suck. "We've decided! We're gonna have a sleepover this weekend!"

Time for the disaffected cool uncle. He offered a flat, "That's nice," with a condescending smirk.

"Oh, don't even!" Yang said. Some of her energy was starting to come back, and hey, she was finally talking to him now. "Not when you're the one who suggested it!"

Qrow blinked. "I did?"

"See? He's an old man! You _totally_ said the four of us should have a sleepover!"

And then he smelled the game, and instead of being amused he was annoyed. "Listen," he said, "you are _not_ going to convince me I said yes to a sleepover and then use that to convince Tai to have one. _Especially_ with all the quarter/year end bull he has to deal with on _top_ of everything else. It's a no."

The girls seemed to deflate, all three looking at each other and then looking down.

Qrow straightened. "Whose idea was this?" he asked, voice full of authority.

"... Mine," Yang said, and she was sullen and pouting in a way that looked just like Raven and Qrow _Could. Not. Deal_. With this right now.

Growling to himself, he opened the driver's seat. "Okay, show's over. Let's go," he said, suddenly so tired.

The girls piled in and Qrow drove not to his apartment but to Tai's place. The last thing he needed was his apartment. Tai's place was more comfortable, and he needed as many good feelings as he could before heading off to shift. The girls seemed to sense his mood, and went to Ruby's bedroom to work, closing the door behind them. Qrow pulled out his phone and started to send Clover another text when he realized he'd sent seven already over the course of the day.

Sponsor or not, there were limits. Sighing, Qrow plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV for background noise, scrolling through his contacts for options. It was a pitifully short list, most of them from work and none of them really knew…

Oz…? But he was in wintersession and up to his ears in work and…

He grunted. That kind of isolationist thinking led to drinking. He needed to reach out before he lost his damn mind.

_Hey_ , he wrote. _How's the Wintersession thing?_

_Hello. I'm surprised to hear from you. Are you alright?_

_Just saying hi._

_More likely you are reaching out for distraction. How may I be of service?_

Qrow looked up to the ceiling, wondering when he'd gotten so lucky to have a friend like Oz.

_Found out when the parole board is meeting. Valentine's Day. Fuck my life._

_… I'd rather not, thank you._

That earned a chuckle from Qrow, a real chuckle.

_Don't tell me you don't have the stamina for something like that,_ he teased, hooking an ankle over his knee.

_Now that would be a philosophical question for the ages: is it possible to have intercourse with an entire life? Would the person themselves not be sufficient? How does one define a life compared to the actual person who is doing the living? Where does the life end and the living begin?_

Qrow was outright laughing now.

_The BEDROOM, professor. I thought that was obvious._

_No, no, we've hit upon an idea here,_ Oz replied. _What would intercourse with a life even look like? Your use of vulgarity implies that pleasure is not necessarily optional but what if it were possible? What would that look like? How would a person articulate that kind of sensation? Indeed, is there anything in all the languages of all the world that would describe a pleasurable intercourse with someone's life? Where would it fall on the sexuality spectrum? The academic in me is afire with ideas._

And Qrow, thoroughly amused, texted back, _suck my dick and we can see if any words get invented._

Then he read what he wrote.

_After_ he had hit send. Horror rose up in him and his thumbs suddenly weren't oriented right to backpedal what he just sent. Holy… sonnuva…

_Sry. din't mean it just came out. Imma dick. No tht's evn worse. Sry I said NYthing. Fsck._

"What the hell," he muttered, leaning forward. "Can I _be_ any more of a bi-disaster?"

It must have been five whole minutes before he got a reply, and those five minutes were even more nerve-wracking than waiting for the parole hearing, he couldn't _believe_ he'd just _typed_ that what was _wrong_ with him how did he _always_ manage to do stuff like this?

Two texts simultaneously.

First, Clover: _I'm coming over tonight. I'm bringing my night bag, too. Lucky you._

Second, Oz: _Forgive me, but I am not a fan of this kind of content in a text. I hope this does not offend you._

Qrow let out a breath, there was so much adrenaline in him he was starting to shake. He got up and started pacing. _Don't blame you,_ he typed quickly to Oz, _have no idea what came over me. I'm a disaster at this kind of thing anyway. Forget I even said anything. I know you're straight._

To Clover: _You have no idea how close I just came to fucking up a friendship. I'd say bring beer but I know what you'd say._

Oz replied with only one word: _Actually…_ and Qrow frowned, wondering what the rest of the sentence was. The three dots of someone typing appeared and disappeared - for the first time ever Qrow was watching Oz struggle to find words and he couldn't quite imagine it in his head. Clover texted back, _What happened?_ , and Qrow had to quickly type, _Hang on a second. We're still texting._

Clover: _OMG I know how you get when you're stressed and texting at the same time. What did you say?_

Qrow winced but he was still pacing the living room, staring at those three typing dots appear and disappear before, at last:

_Very sorry. A student has just walked in. We'll talk more later._

"Jesus Christ, fuck my life from here to doomsday," Qrow muttered, taking a screengrab of the text chain and sending it to Clover, adding, _How do I always do this to myself?_

_Change of plan,_ Clover wrote back. _I'm picking you up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, something we call Qrow's Disaster Energy, finally strikes, and he says/types something stupid. This is mostly an in-between chapter - we're starting to set up both Blake's and Weiss' stories, we get a bigger picture about Raven, Yang continues to spin, and our two favorites almost-flirt. Did we mention wild swinging from drama to fluff? This is what happens when you don't have an outline.
> 
> And look, the philosophy professor is being all academic about a simple turn of phrase. How does one define a life? What does f-ing a life mean? There is an answer to that question... somewhere... And we got the other half of the fic title!


	5. Chapter 5

Tai finally crawled home, exhausted from work at the security firm and ready to deal with the three girls.

The term "sleepover" may have been mentioned and Tai firmly shot it down saying that "pulling this on me at the last minute isn't how I taught you girls," which got appropriately shamefaced responses. Qrow helped Tai start dinner, cursed when he melted a spatula and swore his bad luck was just _begging_ to screw up the rest of the evening.

Then Clover showed up.

Tai looked at Clover, glanced at Qrow, saw an overnight bag in Clover's car, and then rounded on Qrow.

"How bad is it that you're going to get laid?"

Qrow sputtered as Clover burst out laughing.

"No," Clover assured, "No disasters tonight. I'm just going to get Qrow into a different locale, knock some sense into him, then stay over to make sure he's okay. Nothing more."

Tai glanced to Clover, then turned some hard eyes on Qrow. "No more disaster, you bisexual disaster."

At least _somewhat_ more composed, Qrow shrugged it off with a fake nonchalance. "Can't help it if everyone finds me hot."

Tai chuckled. "Go on."

Clover took Qrow out to a restaurant, a fancy they sat down, Qrow offered a hooded look. "If you're going to wine and dine me, you need to forget the wine."

Clover smirked. "Unless you plan on getting drunk on the penne alla vodka, you're not in too much danger."

Qrow quirked an eyebrow. "You know, in college I would have called that a challenge."

Clover chuckled. "I would have watched."

"Seriously, Clover, I know you're not interested in me," he said, taking a sip of his water. "That disaster to end all disasters shoved that home pretty thoroughly. I swear, I don't know why you agreed to still be my sponsor."

Clover ran a hand through his red hair, slicking it back. "It's part of the job," he said softly. "To be a good sponsor, I need to give you a lot of support and validation. That's attractive in a partner. It's not the first time someone I've sponsored fell for me. It won't be the last. I understand therapists have similar issues. You understood the boundaries and haven't violated it since. Why shouldn't I keep being your sponsor?"

Qrow smirked. "So you always say. And the dinner?"

Clover waved that question away. "Friends can go out and have dinner," he replied. "You and Tai, remember? Tai's about as straight as an arrow, right?"

"Hah! Straighter," he took a sip. "Didn't understand I was hitting on him till Raven explained a few things."

"That must have been quite the conversation."

"That's putting it mildly."

They laughed and kept conversing as dinner was served. (Qrow chose to avoid the penne alla vodka.) It was all banter, stories, happier times. By the time their plates had been cleared, Qrow leaned back with a smile. "I haven't felt this good in almost a month."

"Mission accomplished. Now, desert?"

Qrow raised a brow. "I thought you didn't want to sleep with me."

Clover offered a wide grin. "I may not, but _someone_ wants to get laid."

He frowned. "Things were going good. Did you _have_ to bring up that fuck up with Oz?"

"You need to talk about it."

Qrow shrugged. "What's there to talk about? We were texting back and forth and I shoved my foot so far down my mouth it came out my ass. I'm just lucky he let that slide."

"I think you'd rather do the sliding, particularly involving an ass."

" _What_?"

"Or maybe you'd rather be the ass with something sliding in?"

" _Clover_!"

"Ah, so you prefer blowjobs to penetration?"

Qrow dropped his head to the table. "Just stop."

Clover gave a gentle chuckle. "Did I go _too deep_ into innuendo?"

"Fuck my life."

"So glad you brought up this Ozpin guy. Quite the intellectual," Clover glanced at the screenshots on his phone. "Pontificating on how to actually have sex with a life? Why _haven't_ you actually had him suck your dick?"

"I am _not_ having this conversation."

"Not here, no," Clover agreed. "Like I said, I'm spending the night at your place and we're going to get your head on straight. Or rather get your head on _gay_."

Qrow groaned. Fuck his life. Fuck his life with barbed wire wrapped around a sword.

The ride back to his apartment was blissfully quiet. And Qrow gave himself the time to recover whatever dignity he had left and to shove shame and embarrassment into a closet to never be pulled out again.

"Okay," Qrow said, shutting the door behind him. "We're home. Now _what the hell have you been talking about?_ "

Clover sat on the couch and sprawled like he owned it with his usual confidence. He looked over with seriousness instead of his usual flirty banter. "Qrow, it's hard for you to reach out, and when you do, it's to a _very_ small number of people. Usually just me and your brother-in-law."

"Yeah. And?"

Clover put his head in his hands. "Qrow, you reached out to _Ozpin_. That means you have added him to your very, _very_ small and exclusive club of people you care about."

Qrow dropped into his recliner. "It's not like that," he said softly. "He has a biological son. He's definitely straight. He was married to a woman. A psycho woman, but a woman. And it's not like I even know the details of that."

"But you want to."

Qrow looked away. "Sort of. Just so I know where the triggers are. His hair went white in a _year_. He has a hard time walking. The last thing he needs is me bulldozing through with my bad luck disaster."

Clover narrowed his eyes. "Do you try and be this considerate of your coworkers?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Clover let out a long sigh. "Do you worry about your bad luck and disaster energy messing with your colleagues the same way?"

"They're not damaged like Oz is."

Leaning back, Clover ran a hand through his hair, not to slick it back, but in clear frustration. Finally he crossed his arms.

"Different track," he said, looking Qrow right in the eyes. "You know your parents were abusive, right?"

"Yeah, you know I do. I _told_ you they were."

"And you know that your sister is abusive."

"No, she's just a manipulative bitch."

"Ahhh, that's the problem." Clover tilted his head back, thinking. "Do you know that you've survived trauma?"

Qrow looked through hooded eyes. "What do you think?" he asked with bitter sarcasm.

"At this point, I need an honest answer."

" _Yes_ , I survived trauma. What our parents did…. Listening for footsteps and stopping what we were doing to see they were coming closer or further away… I've seen how Tai is raising Ruby and Yang. It wasn't normal or right what we grew up with and it messed us up. Raven's _still_ messed up. That's why she's in jail."

Clover nodded. "So your parents were abusive and you've survived trauma."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what I just said."

"So you were blackout drunk all the time after you escaped your parents?"

"No, why are you-" Qrow stared at Clover, wide-eyed. " _No_ ," he said firmly. "I- no, I was upset after what happened with Raven and what happened to the Poledinas. I wasn't… I didn't…. No."

Clover leaned over and put a hand on Qrow's knee. "Trauma comes in all shapes and forms. Drinking... The kind of hard drinking you were doing… That was a classic sign of bad-coping with a trauma of abuse."

"Raven't _wouldn't_ -"

"Children of abuse can often repeat the cycle of abuse," Clover was all gentle tones and soft wording. "You chose to leave the cycle. You saw a reason to leave that cycle. She hasn't yet."

Qrow's head was spinning, he _never_ would have called his own _sister_ abusive, but… no, it couldn't be, could it? Clover never met Raven, he didn't know what she was like, how it was between the two of them…

"People in abusive situations are very good at the mental acrobatics needed to excuse it all away and not see things as they are." Clover offered a small, bright smile. "It's why you're such a disaster. You're good at turning your thoughts around to make excuses or turn something into what it isn't. You couldn't see Raven as abusive, only as a manipulative bitch. You can't see you're interested in this Ozpin, you can only see someone you just like."

"Wait, how are we back at Oz?"

Clover leaned back. "Because people who survive trauma and abuse are good at self-delusion. And you're deluding yourself into thinking that you aren't falling in love with this guy. We've talked about him before, you've shared some of the texts you've sent, hell, you _spent the night there_ to give him help, saw his son off to school, and stayed to get him to talk about things instead of bottling them up. You babysit his son frequently, you regularly talk at school and banter and joke. Qrow, it's obvious. You're _interested_."

"But he's _straight_."

"That's the self-delusion," Clover said, smiling and pointing. "Has he stated, right out, that he is _only_ interested in women? You're bi-sexual Qrow. Don't fall to bi-erasure as well. He married a woman. Yeah. So what? He could be bi like you. Have you even asked?"

If Qrow thought his head was spinning before, it was a whirlwind now.

"Now," Clover said, completely self-satisfied. "You have plenty to think about and reflect on. Ignore that sister-stuff, that's going to get you to want to drink and I'm here to stop that. Think about how you feel for that guy and revel in happiness."

Qrow could feel the headache coming.

* * *

Tai watched the girls get on the bus from the front window, saying his daily prayer as the yellow monstrosity left with a plume of exhaust cycling into the frigid air. Glancing at the clock, he saw the bus had been right on time, so he grabbed his backpack and laptop and moved to the garage, tossing it into his car and locking up before driving out.

Usually, he had an hour to do some quick housework: meal prep, cleaning, getting a round of laundry done and in the dryer before heading off to work. Instead, however, he navigated the pre-sunrise streets deeper into Patch, hooking onto Main, taking a right at the bank, and to Qrow's apartment complex. Seeing Clover with a night bag… Tai worried. He always worried, he couldn't help it.

He buzzed in, knowing Qrow's code for the building and went up to the third floor. He let himself in, knowing Qrow never used the door latch, and saw the shoes by the door. Clover was still here then?

True to form, the sponsor was on the couch, blanket pulled up around his shoulder and one foot dangling precariously over the edge of the cushion. Tai smiled and stepped quietly. A quick glance at the calendar showed that Qrow was at his shift, and he wouldn't be back until almost eight in the morning. Tai winced in sympathy - that gave him three hours sleep before he went to pick the girls. The guy was burning at both ends sometimes, and that made Tai worry more.

Sighing, he stuck his head in Qrow's room. It was a mess, like the guy's life, and Tai started picking up clothes and sorting through towels and candy wrappers and empty cans of soda. At least it wasn't something harder…

Clover was up shortly after, Tai could hear the morning moans of someone struggling to wake up. Tai stepped out and went to the kitchenette, putting on the coffee and went back to cleaning his brother-in-law's room.

In the span of fifteen minutes he stepped out with a basket of laundry and saw Clover staring at the coffee pot with something like consternation, as if he could will it to go faster.

"Morning."

The sponsor looked up. "Morning, Tai," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "He didn't break this, did he?"

"Don't think so," Tai said, pulling open the pocket door that hid the stackable washer dryer. Ugh, it was going to be at least three loads, how did Qrow do this to himself? "But you never know with his luck."

"Noted."

Tai let the other man wake up a little, starting the first batch and going back to the room to handle the garbage. When all was said and done, two cups of coffee were on the counter, Clover rummaging through the fridge to find cream.

"Sugar's in the cabinet above the fridge now," he said, "I'll be right back." Tai left the apartment with not only the bedroom garbage but also the bin by the kitchen counter, going down three flights, outside to the dumpster, and then back up the three flights. The coffee was ready, and Clover was rubbing more sleep out of his face, muscles rippling under his shirt. Straight or not, Tai was impressed with the build.

"Quite a stock," Clover said, chin jutting to what the girls called the "new baking cabinet."

Tai smiled. "The professor likes to bake," he said, sipping the coffee. Ah, that was perfect. He sat down at the tiny table with Clover. "They spend almost every afternoon together now."

"Wow," Clover said. "Qrow must have it bad."

"He has _no idea_ ," Tai agreed.

"When did you know?"

"When he spent a night at the guys house."

"Same."

They lapsed into silence, both sinking into their coffee. It was a very old routine for them - it used to be much more frequent in the darker days, before they were able to pull Qrow out of the worst of it: Qrow would be passed out in his room, Tai having dragged him home and calling Clover or visa versa as they tried to figure out how to get Qrow the help he needed. That first month of detox... This had been almost daily.

"Does he talk to you about him?"

Clover shook his head. "He doesn't need me nearly as much as he used to. You probably know more about the guy than I do. Have you met him?"

"Yeah. Nice guy, way different than what Qrow normally goes for."

Clover smirked. "Before or after going for you?"

Tai winced. "Don't even," he said, "I had no _idea_."

Clover smirked again, that confident quirk of the lips that made Tai think he had everything under control. "I'd like to meet him," he said, hooking one ankle over the other. "Anyone that can sneak into Qrow's radar and not have him even notice has to be something."

"It's the disaster energy," Tai said, sipping his coffee. "That or his luck."

"Probably both." Clover paused, green eyes narrowing slightly. "He said he met the family yesterday. The Poledinas."

Tai winced. "Yeah… I couldn't get off work, and Qrow kept saying over and over he could handle it. I believe him, now… and I know to push if I get a hint that he couldn't… but it didn't feel right. Was he okay? After, I mean?"

"Not really," Clover replied, sipping his coffee. "Texted me almost a dozen times to keep himself calm. I was with another guy in crisis so I couldn't answer, and instead he texted the professor. Qrow showed me the texts. Guy did his best to be a distraction, and then Qrow's disaster energy started to get thrown around. I spent the night trying to sort through that." He breathed in slowly through his nose, thinking again. "Can I ask a question?" he asked.

Tai blinked, even as he felt his stomach sink. He knew that tone. "Yeah," he said, bracing himself.

"Did you think Raven was abusive?"

Tai blinked, working through first the reaction of hearing the name, then processing the question. "Not at the time," he said. "I mean, we were all college idiots. What did we know about anything? We were kids. It was after she left - well, really it was after Summer…"

Even now, years later, it still hit him all at once: Losing Summer, the downward spiral, waking up one morning and seeing what Yang and Ruby really needed, trying to find Qrow in the darkness he was mired in, meeting Clover, the intervention… "You learn a lot in therapy," he said, voice and memories far away. "Qrow never really got into it. He wasn't ready, I don't think, but the girls and I, we got a lot out of it. Now, today, I can say that she was abusive. The fights we would get into, the way she could never be wrong… you know, I realized in therapy, I don't think she even apologized once in the years I knew her."

Clover nodded. "I might have made Qrow realize it last night," he said.

Tai blinked. "Wait, what?"

Clover shrugged, massive shoulders smoothly going up and down. "I was trying to get him to see how head over heels he was for the professor, but he's still spending a lot of time making excuses for people - including himself. He could say that Raven was a manipulative bitch but it didn't even occur to him that she was as abusive as their parents."

"But… but he was there!"

"And he was piss drunk through about half of it to cope," Clover said. "That's the whole point with addicts: they know on a gut level that they're in pain and they can't face it, that's why they turn to something. Facing something - anything - is hard for them, and they create layer after layer after layer to keep themselves from facing it."

"But I thought we got through all of it," Tai said.

Clover nodded. "We did. But that doesn't mean all those mechanisms were dismantled or went completely away. Qrow can admit that he's scared of commitment, but that doesn't mean he's ready to admit he's into someone. Look at what happened with me. How many times did he say _I_ was the one coming on to _him_? He might have learned not to do that, but that doesn't mean he had another defense mechanism ready to spring for the next time."

Tai put a hand to his forehead, massaging the oncoming headache. He had to take a long, shaky breath as it slowly dawned on him that Qrow wasn't as well off as he thought he was. "Should I be worried?" he asked, voice pitifully small.

"No," Clover said, looking at his mug. "At least not yet. The professor is the best choice Qrow's made when it comes to relationships, and he's being his usual disaster, but he's trying to make the right choices when it comes to the professor. He's not dismissing advice - though you have to hit him with a brick before he realizes it _is_ advice."

Tai snorted. "That's Qrow."

"Yes it is." Clover took another sip of his coffee, then grabbed his phone. Tai realized it was vibrating. "My crisis from yesterday," he said. "Duty calls."

Tai looked at the clock. "I gotta go, too," he said, quickly finishing his mug and putting it in the sink. "Hey," he added, turning around. "Come by sometime. The girls would love to see you."

Clover smiled and winked. "Sure thing. Conveniently when the professor's there, hopefully."

Tai laughed. "It would be just Qrow's luck."

"Take care."

"You, too."

* * *

Weiss asked to be dropped off two streets away from the Xiao Long household. It was, perhaps, silly, but she didn't want the address of her new friends(?) home to be parroted back to her father. Mother wouldn't care, but then, she didn't care about very much these days. She sighed, wished Winter had replied to her email for the umpteenth time, and straightened her spine.

The weather was ice cold, and she held her coat close as she walked down the salted sidewalk, around the corner, and down two streets before arriving at her destination. Ruby must have been watching for her, she came bursting out of the house - no coat - and shouting: "You're here, you're here! We were afraid you wouldn't come!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "After all the effort you put into arranging this stupid thing? Really!"

That, and - well, she hadn't exactly _told_ her dad she was going to a sleepover. Just left a note for Klein to find (maybe at the personal assistant's suggestion). She had sleepwear, deodorant, perfume, homework, shampoo and soap, everything she could think of for her first sleepover.

"Come on come _on_ ," Ruby said, grabbing her arm and tugging. "Dad's already started cooking and Uncle Qrow is staying with us until he has to leave for his shift. Blake's already here and showed us some of the books she reads _and_ she brought her mobile gaming system. Yang's pulling out the sleeping bags and I'm looking forward to fighting over what movie we're going to see."

Weiss stared at Ruby flatly as they moved into the garage and through the back door to the kitchen. "Fight over what movie we're going to see?" she asked. … Why had she agreed to do this again?

"Yeah," Mr. Xiao Long said, standing over the stove and in a pink frilly apron. What…? "It's a long family tradition. You should have seen the fights Qrow and Summer would get in over what movie we saw."

"Yep," Mr. Qrow said from somewhere in the house. "Action movie versus romantic comedy - fight for the ages. Ha! I win again!"

"No fair!"

A dog barked from somewhere, and Weiss and Ruby followed the noise to the living room, seeing Blake and Yang and Qrow playing some kind of video game. Weiss shifted her weight, uncertain what the protocol was for setting her bags down for a sleepover. Blake looked up, saw her standing there, and got up from the couch. "Here," she said, "I'll show you where our stuff goes."

"Thank you," Weiss said gratefully. They moved down a hall to the bedrooms. Weiss saw the larger bed of the master bedroom - Mr. Xiao Long's then - and then across was a bedroom with two beds smooshed on opposite sides of the room - a nightstand and window between them. To the side was an open closet with clothes spilling out of it and a double-wide bureau, drawers in scattered states of open.

"This place is a pigsty," she said as Blake motioned to the black backpack stuffed in one corner of the room.

"I feel sorry for you if you think this is a pigsty," Blake said, a smile on her face. "You should see Adam's room."

"Is that your boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

Weiss made a noise of disgust. "If I let my room get this bad…" She didn't bother to finish the sentence.

"Same," Blake said. "Mom would kill me. Good thing we're not them, right?"

Weiss smiled, a little, and placed her things next to Blake's. "What's the first item on the agenda?"

Blake shook her head. "There is no agenda," she said, not unkindly. "Not for a sleepover. We talk, we have fun, we play games, we stay up late if we can."

"I see," Weiss said. "Where does homework fit in?"

"Usually at the last minute on the bus to school," Blake said. "Unless you already did it ahead of time like I did."

Weiss nodded, starting to get a feel for the evening. "Very well," she said. "Do I assume we go back to the living room?"

"Yeah. Are you much of a gamer?"

"Not really."

"Then we'll cheer Yang and Ruby to beat Mr. Qrow," Blake said, nodding. "Or we can read."

"Sounds like the perfect time to do homework," Weiss said, crouching down and getting her notebook.

For the next hour she figured out how to concentrate through the exclamations of the Xiao Long family as they gamed, Blake next to her either reading or texting her boyfriend, the dog - Zwei - curled on Weiss' lap. It was loud, and Weiss found it hard to concentrate, but she couldn't begrudge the noise, either, because it was always playful teasing or laughing or smiles. It was _happy_ noise, and as quiet as the Schnee house was she much preferred that to when the house was noisy. If it was noisy that meant Father was in a bad mood, and nobody in the house wanted that. More than once Yang or Ruby would make some kind of declaration and Weiss had to hold in a snort. The two were funny, in their own way. Mr. Xiao Long came in once or twice, frilly apron still on, to add a comment or mention them to pipe down, which were summarily ignored. Weiss couldn't understand how they could ignore their father so readily, but she was afraid to ask at the same time.

Blake made a face at her phone.

"What's up?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing," she said. "He wants… nothing." She got up and went down the hall, the sound of a door closing.

"Okay guys!" Mr. Xiao Long said from the kitchen. "Curry's ready!"

"Yes!" Ruby and Yang said at the same time, arms pumping into the air. All gaming was immediately abandoned, Mr. Qrow was left to power the system down while Weiss folded up her homework and followed the sisters into the kitchen. The table was utterly _tiny_ compared to the one at home, two chairs were folding chairs to make room, and corners were used to make it all work. Mr. Xiao Long had a pot in the middle of a table, a ladle and a pile of bowls next to it.

"First!" Ruby shouted, grabbing the ladle.

"No, I'm first!"

"Girls! We have guests!"

"Oh, right. Blake? Where'd she go?"

"Doesn't matter, Weiss, you're first! Hurry up!"

Weiss noted the tradition and wondered if it was normal or specific to the Xiao Long family. She took a bowl - trying not to notice the chip in the side - and gave herself two ladle-fulls. The dog ran under the table, panting happily.

"Aw, only two?" Ruby said. "That's so _small_."

"That's so _smart_ ," Mr. Xiao Long corrected. "At least _someone_ knows how to portion meals so I'm not eaten out of house and home. Weiss, pass the ladle clockwise, okay?"

Weiss nodded and gave it to Ruby, who moaned pitifully before taking two ladles of curry, then Mr. Xiao Long, then Yang, then Blake who just arrived, then Mr. Qrow.

"There, see? Now there's enough for seconds."

"Only if we have _dinner rolls_ ," Yang said pointedly.

"Don't worry, timer's on."

"You'd better worry," Mr. Qrow said. "I'm in the room, remember?"

"... Maybe you're right."

"Okay," Weiss said, "Explain that to me. This isn't the first time someone's made that kind of comment."

"That's because Uncle Qrow is a bad-luck magnet," Yang said sagely. "It goes along with his title. He makes sure life is never boring."

"And the complicated rules about serving?"

Everyone shrugged except the adults. "Been doing it since we were kids," Ruby said.

"I started it because you two would fight over food," Mr. Xiao Long said, pulling out a pan of dinner rolls. "First ice cream, then soup, then _fried chicken_. Your mom got tired of the fighting and made the rules. I added the portion part, though, because I was tired of going to the grocery store every other day to refill the fridge. Then they got wise and tried to rig the game."

"Just like I taught them," Mr. Qrow said, lifting his soda in salute.

"Oh, sure, take credit for all the trouble they get in."

"Got to, it's part of my image."

"And what about mine?"

"You're too embarrassing to have an image, Dad."

"I am not embarrassing!"

Weiss tried to chip in: "Says the man in a woman's apron."

But the entire table fell silent.

Weiss felt immediate anxiety, looking around at everyone. Only Blake seemed just as confused as Weiss, and she felt her back starting to stiffen.

Mr. Xiao Long sighed and put a hand on the frilly thing. "Sorry, Weiss. This was Summer's."

Ruby's mom. "... Oh," she said, looking down. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," Mr. Xiao Long said, getting up and untying the apron. "I don't need it now that we're eating, right?"

Ruby and Yang seemed to immediately recover - another thing Weiss just didn't understand, and in seconds the conversation was loud and lively. A glance at Blake - her only real metric - indicated this was normal and to not question it. Shrugging, she had a taste of the curry: it was _delicious_ , better than the cook's and she asked what the secret ingredient was.

"Love, obviously!" Mr. Xiao Long said brightly.

"Oh, come on, Dad, that's so _corny_!"

"Only thing Tai can manage is corny," Mr. Qrow said, before choking on his next bite.

"Oh, sorry, that must be the arsenic."

"Keep talking, and I tell the girls what Summer and I had to go through to get you lai-"

"Say another word and you're never eating here again."

"Ooooo, now I want to know the story! Dad, what's the story?"

"Ruby, it's not fit for little girls-"

"Good thing we're teenagers, then, huh, Dad?"

"No, you are _not_ hearing this story-"

"Well, you see, girls, we were in college…"

" _Give me your curry right now_. You're not finishing it!"

Everyone was laughing, and it was boisterous, and Weiss couldn't help laughing with it.

* * *

"Friends! Comrades! Weiss!"

"Hey!"

"We've done the movie fight and the movie. We've done the gaming. We've done the supper. We've even done the homework thanks to Weiss being a wet blanket."

"Hey!"

"What should we do next?"

"Read?"

"Besides that, Blake," Ruby whined. "Reading is so _quiet_."

Blake leveled a flat glare before sighing and changing her option. "Spin the bottle?"

" _No,_ " Weiss and Yang said simultaneously. Weiss might not know much about sleepovers but she knew that.

Ruby, it seemed, was not that savvy. "Wait, I don't get it, I've never heard of that game."

"The name kind of explains it, Ruby," Yang explained. "You spin some kind of bottle and then kiss the person it points to."

"Oh." Then, "That doesn't sound so bad. We kiss Dad and Uncle Qrow all the time and-"

" _On the lips_ ," Weiss said, horrified. "You'd be kissing one of us - even your sister - _on the lips_."

Ruby blinked once, twice, and made the worst face. "Ew! That's so stupid! Who would come up with a stupid game like that anyway?" She threw an accusatory finger to Blake. "I veto that suggestion! Unilaterally!"

Blake shrugged. "It's more interesting at high school parties anyway," she said, sounding bored.

Weiss and the others all looked to Blake. "You've been to high school parties?"

Blake blinked. "... Yes?"

"Were you okay?" Yang asked. "Some of the stuff they say about high school parties…"

"It was fine. I was with my boyfriend. He made sure nothing happened to me."

"... Okay, then," Ruby said, clapping her hands together. "What about truth or dare?"

"Oh, those can be fun - especially if Uncle Qrow is in on it!"

"No," Weiss said, crossing her arms and sniffing. "Someone will be mean."

"No we won't."

"Yes, you _will_ ," Weiss said. "We used to play this when we were kids, and Whitley was always _mean_ , and it never ended well."

"Okay, then," Yang said. "We'll all take a vow." She lifted her right hand. "We solemnly swear not to give a dare or a truth that's mean. Ruby, Blake, make the vow."

"We solemnly swear not to give a dare or a truth that's mean," they said, mostly in unison.

Weiss sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this and not looking forward to it. "Fine," she said. "Who goes first."

"Me, me!" Ruby said, raising her hand. He pointed to her sister. "Truth or dare!"

"Truth!"

"What's-wait, that's mean. Who did you-no. When was your first-Weiss, you're making this hard!" She crossed her arms and thought. "Okay! Have you had your first kiss yet? That isn't mean, right?"

" _No_ , but it's _embarrassing_ ," Yang said, rolling her eyes. Then she smirked and ran a hand through her golden locks. "I have though."

"Wait, _really_? And you didn't _tell_ me?"

"No second questions," Yang said, shaking a finger. "Blake: truth or dare?"

"... Dare," she said after a thought.

"Great! I dare you to ask Uncle Qrow what his title is."

"All right girls, I'm off to my shift. Thought saying goodnight won't crimp my style too much." All four girls froze to see the topic of the dare come right into the bedroom. He leaned against the frame, smooth and rugged at the same time, and then he winked. "Got any questions?"

"Uh," Blake said, cheeks bright pink. Ruby and Yang were snickering, and Weiss was starting to wonder if this was going to be mean after all with the way they were giggling. "What's… what's your title?" Blake finally asked.

Mr. Qrow winked again, putting a hand on his hip. "Thought the girls already told you," he said smoothly. "I'm a bi-disaster. See ya!"

He shut the door.

Weiss asked the most obvious question: "How did he _do_ that?"

"It's his cool-uncle energy," Yang said, nodding sagely. "We don't even question it anymore. Blake, hurry up."

Blake shook her head, still blushing, gold eyes darting around. "Weiss," she said, recrossing her leg. "Truth or dare?"

Weiss considered. The dare wasn't technically "bad" but if that was the bar they were setting she wasn't comfortable with it. "... Truth," she decided on.

Blake nodded, eyes narrow as she thought. "What are you most afraid of?" she asked.

Weiss froze, because her first answer wasn't one she was ever allowed to say. She frowned, trying to think of a more appropriate second option that could still count, but Ruby was already pointing. "See that?" she said, "She's about to lie! No lying Weiss! You asked for truth! You can't lie!"

Honestly, she was such a child! Weiss crossed her arms again and huffed. "I was _not_ ," she immediately denied.

"Then what are you most afraid of? Is it spiders? Bad grades? Being poor?"

"I'm afraid of my father!" Weiss snapped. Then she heard herself and froze. The others froze, too, blinking almost in unison and then staring. Weiss shrank back, uncertain what was going to happen next.

"What do you mean by that?" Blake asked, her eyes narrow but somehow not judgmental. Just… shrewd. "My dad can be plenty scary when he's mad, but he's not my worst fear. I mean, he yells when he's mad, but not to the point where I'm… where I'm that afraid. Afraid to the point where that's the first thing I'd think of for a game like this."

"What's that even like?" Ruby asked. "To be afraid of a dad?"

And now Weiss had to explain, and she fumbled, worrying her hands and taking several false starts. She frowned, opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, trying to find the words. "Picture… picture dinner," she said. "Earlier. How loud it was. Picture that coming from one person. And it isn't happy."

Silence. Weiss listened to the silence and she wondered if she had said too much. She was afraid to see their faces, to know what they were thinking after she had admitted this. She'd _never_ admitted any of this. It was always implicitly understood that you Did Not Talk about the things that went on at home, and she hadn't even brought up her mother or Whitley. But sometimes… sometimes she just wanted to shout about it from on high, announce to the whole world _this is what my life is like_ and have someone say _that must be terrible_. And it was a silly idea, really, because it wasn't like he-

"Has he ever hit you?" Blake again.

"Only once," Weiss said, and her voice was so small. "When I was ten. But it was my fault - my birthday party was too loud when he came home, and he'd had a Bad Day, and he was in a Bad Mood, and-"

Two hands filled her vision, reaching out and grabbing her wrists. Startled, she looked up, saw they were attached to Ruby and Yang, Blake taking their free hands in turn. Something was happening, Weiss wasn't really sure what, she was scared and hopeful at the same time, and she didn't dare breathe.

"I solemnly swear," Ruby said, "That the four of us are sisters. Everyone else needs to say it."

"I solemnly swear," Yang said immediately, "That the four of us are sisters."

"I solemnly swear that the four of us are sisters."

"Weiss, you too."

"I… I solemnly swear that the four of us are… sisters?"

"Good!" Ruby said. "That means our dad is your dad, and Blake's mom is our mom, and your siblings are ours." She nodded, lifting and dropping her hands. The others did the same, Weiss tepidly, still wondering what was happening. Then Ruby got up and left. "Dad," Weiss could hear her say in the hall. "Dad, we have a problem."

"What?" Weiss demanded, all but flying to her feet. "What are you doing?!"

"It's okay," Ruby said brightly. "Because our dad is your dad, and he's great at fixing things."

"You can't fix-"

The door across the hall opened and Mr. Xiao Long was there, in pajama pants and a t-shirt, Zwei was on the bed already asleep. "It's pretty late, girls," he said, "What's wrong?"

Ruby opened her mouth and Weiss was horrified. "Don't say a word!"

"Dad, you told us to tell you when something was really bad, right?" Ruby asked. "Well, we were playing truth or dare, and Weiss picked truth and Blake asked what her biggest fear was and-"

" _Don't say it!_ "

"-and she said her worst fear was her dad."

Weiss froze again, immediately putting her eyes to the floor, holding herself stock still. Her ears were burning, and shame was filling her.

Mr. Xiao Long knelt down, filling her field of vision. He reached out and she flinched automatically. He froze, and his face changed, and his hand lowered. "Weiss, I'm going to ask two questions," he said gently. "I want you to answer them honestly, okay?"

She nodded, afraid to speak.

"What's the worst thing your father's ever said to you?"

She didn't want to admit it. Her eyes snapped to Ruby, standing next to Mr. Xiao Long, and she nodded encouragingly. She looked back down to her bare feet. "... that I'm not worth the investment he's already put in me and that he should disown me to teach me respect because I'm thoughtless and irresponsible and-"

"Okay," Mr. Xiao Long said. "I understand. That must be very hard to hear. I can't even imagine saying something like that to my girls. Now my second question: what's the best thing he's ever said to you?"

Weiss frowned, and she reached through her memory. Winter said she was very smart and capable. Winter said she should be proud of how good her grades were. Winter said... but what about Father… or even Mother…

A hand touched her arm, and she saw Mr. Xiao Long again, and his face was gentle, and he was smiling. "I want to tell you something," he said softly. "This family had to learn the hard way that it takes a lot of courage to admit when you need help. So I mean this from the bottom of my heart: you are very, _very_ brave." He pulled her close and hugged her, and Ruby joined in, and Weiss could see Blake and Yang at the door, nodding and giving thumbs up. Something deep inside her… was melt the right word? She felt breathless, light and warm, and Mr. Xiao Long still held her shoulders even when he let the hug go.

He leveled a long look at Ruby, then Yang. "You four are all asleep," he said. "Make sure of it."

"Got it!" Yang said quickly. "Come on, guys, it's time to go to bed. I'm really, really tired, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby said. "I'm just so tired! Weiss, my pillow is missing, come sleep with me!"

"... What?"

Before Weiss really knew what was going on her sleeping bag was pulled onto Ruby's bed, Ruby herself stuffing Weiss in before climbing into the sliver of bed that was left. Yang turned the lights off and jumped into her own bed, curling in. "Sh," she said. "Remember, we're all asleep."

Weiss was still confused, but Ruby was pressed up against her, effectively pinning her to the wall, and as the quiet descended, Weiss realized she could hear the noises of the house: settling, creaking, a door opening and Mr. Xiao Long walking down the hall to… the kitchen?

"Hello?" he said, "Is this the Schnee residence?"

Weiss gasped. "What-"

"Shh!"

"Hi!" Mr. Xiao Long said from the kitchen. "I wanted to let you know that the girls are now all asleep. They watched cartoon movies and played some games and did their homework. I got the impression Weiss hasn't been to many sleepovers so I wanted-Uh-huh… uh-huh… Okay… Hello Mr. Schnee, I wanted to let you know-Mr. Schnee, the girls are finally asleep… Mr. Schnee… Mr…"

Weiss closed her eyes. She was going to be dragged home for leaving a note with Klein.

And then a funny thing happened. Something in the tone of Mr. Xiao Long changed. "Mr. Schnee," he said, "Weiss gave me the impression that she's been to very few sleepovers in her life… excuse me, Mr. Schnee, but I'm talking from one father to another. How are you talking - from one employer to an employee? ...Okay, as I was saying, from one father to another, Weiss gave the impression she's been to very few sleepovers, and tonight was a good night for her. She was smiling, happy, laughing. She convinced everyone to do their homework first before they got to fun and games, she was the most responsible girl of the bunch, and I thought you would be proud to know that. I also thought, given how few sleepovers she's been to, that you wanted the courtesy call of letting you know that she's asleep - tuckered out from all the fun she's had. It would be a shame to wake her up in the middle of the night just to take her home and put her to bed again, don't you think? ...I can tell you right now no one is going to be up that early - it's a weekend…. No… Uh-huh… No, no, I insist on taking her home myself. The girls are very attached to her, and sleepovers at my place are pretty ritualized anyway… Oh, don't waste your money on sending a driver, I don't mind, we'll drop her off. I'll call when I'm leaving and text when I'm five minutes out. Uh-huh… uh-huh… I'm glad we understand each other, Mr. Schnee."

And then Weiss could hear the click of a phone being put back on the receiver.

A minute later there was a polite knock on the door, the twist of the knob, and a small creak as it opened a crack.

"Coast is clear," he said gently. "Sleep well."

"... It's okay to cry, Weiss."

"Shut up. I'm not crying. _You're_ crying…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise titled: the chapter where the twins realize how cool Tai is. After Clover by obligation steals every scene he's in we get to Tai, and it's in this chapter where we realize he's kind of cool. Somewhere - was it an interview or something? - someone, we think his voice actor, said that Tai had a lot of Big Dad Energy, and when writing this fic and trying to get in his head it became this, like, literal thing. He's one of our favorite support characters in the fic as a result, and he gets to be a Dad to more than just his girls and Qrow. He just stood toe-to-toe to Jacques Schnee and won - that's impressive!
> 
> We also get a little preachy here when we talk about abuse. Other fics of ours have dived into our opinions more deeply and we talk in much greater depth. The cliff-notes version is that we're abuse survivors ourselves, we have experience in therapy, and sometimes it bleeds into a fic for good or ill. We don't know if Raven of the show is abusive, but she does not have healthy coping mechanisms or interactions, and is a weak person deep down. Messy a Volume 5 was, that confrontation with Yang in the vault was amazing. Chef's kiss for what we learned about Raven. For the fic - because this is a Make-The-Twins-Feel-Better-During-2020, instead of making our antagonists sympathetic or understandable, we wanted all that emotional energy on the main characters instead. So, if anyone out there are fans of people like Jacques or Adam or Salem, you should probably set your expectations now.
> 
> Also, forgot to mention- we finished writing the fic last week. Thirty two chapters and 400 pages on the google doc.
> 
> Next chapter: Oscar get's a story arc, and Yang yells at her dad and uncle.


	6. Chapter 6

Oscar both loved and hated school. He thought this was probably an unusual dichotomy. Most kids either loved school (ex: Weiss, Ruby, Pyrrha) or hated school (ex: Yang, Blake, the kids who never showed up). Oscar loved the learning part of school. History, language, science (especially botany), math. It probably wasn't a surprise given that his dad encouraged learning, even Before, and always took time to sit with him on homework and teaching him _how to learn_ , if not necessarily the subject. He was already in Algebra 1, even though he was in seventh grade, and he knew that next year, he'd probably be in Geometry. (Though he did wonder if the geometry teacher would come to the middle school or if he was going to go to the high school. No one had said yet, but he wasn't going to ask.) The end of the school day and seeing Ruby and her sister and their various friends was always fun. Ruby just brought so much positivity and life wherever she went, it was infectious. Seeing his dad smiling and chatting with Mr. Qrow was probably the best part of the day.

But he hated school because of the bullies. Cardin Winchester and his crew, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, and Jaune Arc. Oscar was _certain_ several of them were held back to repeat a grade. In Cardin's case, probably _twice_. He was way too big to be a seventh grader.

"Come on, Oscar, pull over! Show us your driver's license!"

Oscar sighed. He was currently in gym class, and they had these little scooters, a flat square on a set of wheels with two handles jutting out, to play a sort-of soccer. Oscar was decent at gym. He did love gardening and had done a lot of digging, to say nothing of the larger chores his dad just couldn't do any more that required some level of strength or agility. But he was known for being a brain in his grade.

"Winchester! Close the mouth or take it to the sidelines!"

Since Cardin had insulted his dad so badly at the beginning of the year that Oscar threw a punch, the teachers seemed to be aware of Cardin and kept trying to keep things civil. It was an improvement, but teachers couldn't be everywhere. Between classes was the _worst_ , as Oscar was often shoved around, or Jaune would meekly come over and knock his books out of his hands. Notes or whispers had gone around his seventh grade team and Oscar just _knew_ that Cardin and his cronies were behind it.

"Jaune!" Cardin called out to his teammate.

Oscar finally had the soccer ball and was trying to spin himself and the ball around to kick it down the court when he was slammed into from behind, his fingers that were holding the handle pinched between the two boards. He cried out, but apparently the person slamming into had too much momentum and rolled forward, pushing him off his scooter and landing on top of him, an elbow digging into his ribs and a knee on his hip.

Crying out in pain, Oscar could already hear the gym teacher blowing hard on the whistle and having everyone stop, before rushing over.

" _Get off!_ " Oscar hissed.

"Sorry, _sorry_ , sorry!"

"Jaune!"

Jaune finally pulled his weight off of him, and Oscar was _at last_ able to sit up. His fingers _burned_ and his side was sore. Would he be able to write after this?

The teacher kneeled over and gently took Oscar's hand. His fingers were carefully bent and Oscar couldn't hold back the hiss.

"Your fingers can bend all the way," the teacher said. "That's a good sign. You're going to the nurse."

Oscar nodded and held his hand close to his chest as he got up and walked out of the gym.

"Jaune! Penalty! You're out of the game. Blue team, you get a penalty kick!"

Oscar just held back tears as he walked down the halls.

He was so _tired_ of this. Cardin's bullying, always getting Jaune to do it, the others laughing in the background. He'd fought back _once_ and ended up on suspension. His dad had had a long discussion with him, asking questions, and offering his own advice and analogies. Oscar used his good hand to scrub at the tears. His dad _understood_. He understood because they had both survived and escaped from his mom.

And his dad was great. Always knew just what to say, pulled advice from fairytales they'd both enjoyed when he'd been a baby. But his dad _wasn't here_.

" _Oscar, the hardest lesson I had to learn, was to stand up for myself to your mother. It is far easier to nod, accept whatever has been given to you, and let it all slide away. I'll talk to the school, make sure your teachers are looking out for you, but ultimately, the only way it will stop is when you take your power back and stand up to the bullies. It won't be easy. Indeed, it may be the most difficult challenge you ever face. But once you do, once you take your power back, once you keep your power and don't succumb to what they want, it will get easier every time._ "

" _I can't do that._ "

" _I had to. It hasn't been easy, but it gets easier every time._ "

Well Oscar just _couldn't_ do that. The one time he'd stood up, he'd thrown a punch and gotten suspended. Standing up for yourself didn't work. Besides, it was only a few hours a day. He'd only be in school for another five years. He could survive that.

He would.

Cardin would get tired of his favorite prey eventually.

Right?

"Oscar?"

Oscar looked up. He was almost at the nurse and Blake was just turning the corner and was obviously surprised to see him.

"Hey, Blake," he said softly, averting his eyes downward.

"Gym class?" she asked.

"Yeah," he shrugged, attempting for nonchalant. "You?"

"My parents dropped off my lunch in the office."

"Oh. Well, it was nice seeing you."

"Oscar."

Oscar paused, still staring at the floor.

"Was it Winchester?"

Nope, definitely not fighting back tears again. Oscar was _totally fine_.

"You need to say something."

"It's fine," he replied, and started walking to the nurse again.

"It's not fine. It's obviously not fine."

"I'm okay."

Blake stepped in front of him and he looked to her black boots and purple leggings. "You need to talk to someone. I'll walk you to guidance."

"I'm going to the nurse. I need ice. I'll be fine." And he stepped around her.

* * *

Later, with his swollen fingers, Oscar was forced to text his dad about what had happened so that maybe ice would be waiting for him. Wintersession had finally finished and February would be starting next week, meaning he was back to picking up Oscar. That was _fine_ with him. The car ride home was their time. Oscar could talk about his day, rant, rave, _scream_ , cry, all in the safety of the car. His dad would listen, only ask clarifying questions, and let him just get it all out.

Once they got home would come the advice. Some sort of snack. Then he'd do his homework. Maybe read a book after that. Mr. Qrow had been loaning him a series, one book at a time, and Oscar was plowing through it. He met up with Ruby and Yang at the main door like usual. Weiss was there, as was starting to become usual. Unusually, Blake wasn't there and Oscar just let out a very silent sigh of relief. She was the only one who seemed to notice what he was going through. Or rather, the degree. Ruby and the others knew he was being picked on by Cardin and his followers, but they didn't seem to get the depth of it and that's the way Oscar wanted it to stay.

There was the usual chatter, Yang complaining about homework, Weiss snipping at Ruby, the sisters teasing each other. Oscar just smiled and watched as they all headed out. Out past the busses and in the parking lot was the usual sight. Mr. Qrow was sitting on the hood of his car, chatting with Oscar's dad, who had braved the frigid January air and was leaning against the passenger door to converse.

And Oscar watched his dad smile a carefree smile that he so rarely saw and Oscar was so grateful for Mr. Qrow because of that. Oscar didn't have any memory of such a smile until After. He always smiled when he saw that.

Of course his dad was the first to see them coming, he always was, and had already turned to greet them as Ruby shot forward to tackle her uncle. The girls were already chittering with Mr. Qrow as his dad leaned over awkwardly to hug him close. "Cardin, I assume?" he asked softly.

Oscar nodded as his dad pulled back.

The look on his face was so sad as his dad nodded. "Home? Or with Qrow and the girls?"

Oscar considered. "Can we meet up with them?"

His dad gave a soft, gentle smile. "Of course." He turned to where Mr. Qrow was trying to wrangle the girls into his beat up junker. "Qrow, Oscar and I will meet you there. We need a father-son talk for a bit."

Mr. Qrow frowned for a moment but nodded. "Sure thing. Send me a text and I'll make sure all the estrogen here gets settled."

" _Uncle Qrow!_ "

Oscar kept his laugh quiet.

Both Oscar and his dad waved Qrow's crowded car away before settling into their own.

With a smile, his dad turned to him and asked, "Ice cream?"

Oscar smiled. "Yeah."

It was another of the small moments. Before, baking had been some good time without Oscar's mom, but if she had been in a _mood_ , his dad took him out for ice cream. A tiny little escape before things got bad to let things calm down. It didn't always work, but it got the two of them _away_.

Ice cream time was also _heavy talk_ time. His dad would often explain what his mom had suffered just growing up, how it made her who she was, how they both needed to try and support her, even when it was the most difficult thing in the world. At the end, when Oscar had to bring the ice cream to the hospital, his dad didn't try and talk about his mom any more. Instead, it was more about endurance, when a marathon was over, and other allusions that Oscar hadn't understood meant that his dad had started planning the Escape.

But as much as it meant a heavy talk, it was something Oscar had looked forward to, because for so long it had meant being away from his mom.

So they went to a locally owned ice cream shoppe. His dad, as always, ordered soft-serve, dipped in chocolate. Oscar stared at the menu for a while before asking for a neapolitan covered in caramel and chocolate. The ice cream lady didn't say anything, just nodded and got their orders. They sat in the car outside, licking the ice cream, and just letting the radio play.

Once the ice cream wasn't in any danger of dripping anywhere, his dad turned slightly to pin him with a look over his shades. "Mr. Winchester again?"

Oscar sank in his seat. "Yeah." He went through everything that had happened, from Cardin picking on him during gym, to Jaune slamming into him on the scooter. His dad held out a hand and Oscar offered his bruised and swollen fingers. Gingerly, his dad pressed his fingers, felt the bones, bent the joints, and examined the fingers. The middle finger had the most swelling, as well as the pointer finger. The ring finger was okay, and his pinky almost looked normal.

"I agree with the nurse's assessment, that nothing is broken, but it likely is strained in some way."

"It's fine," Oscar replied. "I don't write with this hand anyway."

But his dad held his cool fingers over his swollen ones. "You shouldn't be going through this, Oscar."

"It's fine."

And his dad sighed, all the way down. They sat in the quiet for a while, before he spoke.

"Once upon a time," his dad said softly, still holding Oscar's fingers, "there was a fool. Of course, he didn't know he was a fool. That's the thing with fools, they don't know that they're fools because they think they know what's going on and a fool thinks they know everything. Now this particular fool, he chose to live in a toxic jungle. Every day he breathed in noxious fumes and did his work and lived his life. He didn't think anything at all of the poisonous air he was breathing. When asked, this fool said that all was well. It was doing no harm, everything was fine. 'See?' the fool would say, taking in a deep breath, 'it's not hurting me.' He didn't notice how others wore masks or brought oxygen tanks, that they wore protective gear. 'They must be sensitive,' the fool thought, 'how sad for them.' The fool had reasons for anything that was pointed out to him."

His dad took a moment to have more of his ice cream and Oscar frowned. He hadn't heard this fairy tale before. He'd have to go digging through more books.

"One day, this fool needed to travel outside the toxic jungle. His work took him far away to a land where the air was clean, the water was pure, where one didn't need protection against the very environment. And as he breathed unadulterated air for the first time, he realized that he could breathe easier. That he could work for longer before getting short of breath. And for the first time, the fool wondered. 'Is this how it is for others?' he asked. 'Do they always breath so easily? Do they always have such clear water? Do they always see vast distances through the air?' But the fool was a fool. And the fool got scared. The fool returned to the toxic jungle."

Oscar blinked. "Why? Why go back to what was so bad for hi-oh."

His dad smiled softly. "While back with the toxic jungle, the fool couldn't help but think about that far away land. The clean air. The pure water. And then the fool did something very unfoolish. He learned. He left. And he never looked back."

"You're talking about you and mom."

"Yes," he said with that gentle, soft smile. "But it is a fairytale. It can apply to more than just me. Tell me, Oscar, why do _you_ keep going back to the toxic jungle?"

Oscar didn't have an answer for that. He looked down at his ice cream, thinking about Jaune and Cardin and his swollen fingers. "It's… just hard, I guess," he said. "I don't know how to stop it. Standing up for myself got me suspended and…" And what was he supposed to do? Like, yeah there were all the words about taking your power back, it's not like his dad hadn't explained it all before. But knowing what to do and _doing it_ were two different things, and the gap between them felt like an ocean, and Oscar was just trying to keep his head above water.

His father reached out and took the bruised hand, Oscar looking up and seeing such a knowing look on his face.

"You are, perhaps, a little young to hear this," he said, voice soft and in the tone he had when he first came home from the hospital. When he saw… Oscar shut down the thought, refused to bring his hand to his turtleneck. "But I deeply, deeply understand the position you are in. When I realized that things didn't have to be as they were, I was faced with the realization that things could change, and I didn't know what that change would look like. Other people might shake their head and say, 'it will be better. Just do it,' but change is something precipitous to disaster for people like us, who have experienced what we experienced. We can't be normal in light of that."

Oscar looked back down. "I want to be normal," he said.

"I did, too," his father said. "Trying to be normal turned my hair white."

Oscar winced; the very act or remembering all of that hurt, scrapped over his heart with needles.

"What I'm getting at, however, was there came a point when I had to choose: make the change, or keep things as they were. That had always been the choice, I suppose, but…" His voice trailed off, and Oscar knew what he was going to bring up, and he _did_ bring a hand up to his brown turtleneck, remembering the look of horror on his father's face when he saw it for the first time, saw what had happened since he had been in the hospital.

"... In the end, I simply realized that change - any change - was infinitely better than the toxic jungle I was living in. You'll have to come to that realization, too, Oscar. With Mr. Winchester and his friends. I will wait however long it takes, and I will help you in the meantime. But in the end you have to choose."

"I know, Dad. I… I know."

* * *

Yang had a list. It was all planned out. She'd be home sick on Valentine's Day. She knew that her dad and Qrow wouldn't let her stow away in the car to follow them to parole hearing, but she could dutifully stay home and alone. She was old enough to be home alone, after all. Then, once they were gone, all she had to do was walk seven miles to the bus station. She had her wallet slowly filling with money for the bus fare and she was slowly stowing away bags of snacks for the journey. She'd printed out directions at school and had them buried in her mess of a folder so no one could find them. She was _set_.

What Yang wasn't expecting, however, was the week before the parole hearing to be sat down by both her dad and Uncle Qrow.

She wasn't expecting her dad to lay out everything she'd been stowing away, she _wasn't_ expecting the looks of disapproval, and she wasn't expecting to get caught like this. At least Ruby was over at Pyrrha's. This was going to get ugly.

Her dad was sitting across from her, looking sad and disappointed, and Uncle Qrow stood behind him, scowling.

"Firecracker, you weren't even subtle."

That's not what Yang took issue with.

"You _searched_ my _room_? You _went through_ my stuff?!"

"Yang," her dad said, "you've been on your best behavior since you learned about your mother. Of course you were planning something."

"What gives you the right to _rummage around through my stuff_?" she slammed her fist on the table. "Why the hell don't you _trust_ me?"

Qrow leaned forward, fuming. "Why the hell _should_ we when you're pulling shit like this?"

"Why the hell _wouldn't_ I 'pull shit like this' when you _lied_ to me?"

Her dad never raised his voice. "We said we'd tell you at your mom's next parole hearing because you'd be sixteen then. We didn't take into account her trying for an early parole."

"That's still _lying_!"

"Don't turn this around to make us some sorta villains," Qrow growled. "Not when you've clearly been _lying_ to us about your plans to go up to the parole hearing."

Yang whirled to her uncle. "That's not the same thing!" she shouted. "You both were already lying! I just didn't tell you!"

"That's the _same_ fucking thing and you know it!"

"Then why the _fuck_ don't you just _tell_ me? What did Mom do that was _sooooo_ bad that you won't even talk about it? Why is she in jail?"

"You're too young for that shit!" Qrow retorted. "You deserve so much _better_ than-"

"That's _my_ decision to make-"

"-learning the shit she pulled-"

"-but you won't _let_ me-"

"-on innocent people-"

"-I'm _thirteen_ for god's sake-"

"Qrow. Yang. Stop."

"-who didn't _deserve_ those scars-"

"-I can _make_ my own decisions-"

"-or all the bullshit that came _after_ -"

"-because I'm almost an _adult_!"

"- _because Raven does nothing but fuck people over!_ "

" _Qrow_!" Her dad stood and grabbed Qrow but the shoulder, pulling him back. Yang, huffing from screaming so much, blinked and realized just how in each other's face's she and her uncle were.

"Tai-!"

" _Take a walk_ ," her dad said loudly. "Call Clover. Call Ozpin, I don't care right now, just _go_. Cool off."

Hurt flashed over Qrow's face and Yang was angry enough to hope it hurt a _lot_. But Qrow stepped back, looked around, and scowled. "You're right. I'll be back."

And just like that, Qrow left.

Yang turned to her dad. "And?" she asked sullenly.

He looked at her measuringly. "You want honesty, Yang."

"You _think_?" she growled.

He nodded, looking at her and measuring her. Yang straightened her spine and _glared_ because she was a _teenager_ now. That meant she was almost an adult. She should be treated as such.

"Will you believe what I tell you?"

Yang narrowed her eyes, considering. The problem was they weren't saying anything. Both her dad and Uncle Qrow had avoided all questions for _years_. There was always that promise. " _At her parole hearing. At her parole hearing, when you're sixteen._ " Now they were outright refusing. What if they said something to shut her up?

"Maybe," she grunted.

"Hm." Her dad nodded to himself. "Stay here." He looked hard at her. "Don't move."

And her dad left. Yang looked at her stash, still on the table. She looked to where her father disappeared, heard him go upstairs. How long was he going to be? She should leave now. Pockets! She needed pockets to hold all her food! She lunged across the table and grabbed her wallet and her printed map. If she left now, she could start going to the station. Buses would still be running, right? Buy food on the way. Get in to see her mom, and ask. She was at the coat closet grabbing her heavy winter coat ( _deep pockets, grab something!_ ) when her father came down the stairs.

"I see trust isn't working right now," he said heavily.

Caught, there was nothing Yang could do. She glared up at him. He was way taller than her. He'd catch up if she ran now. He held his hand out and she scowled at him. He waved his fingers. Growling, she yanked off her coat and threw it at him, stomping back to the table, grabbing one of the pieces of junk food and ripped it open.

Her dad sat down across from her and put a folder on the table. "Here are all the news clippings of what your mother did. Including transcripts from the trial." He slid them over to her. "Since you won't believe me, you can read these." He leaned back. "I'll wait. And I've removed the restrictions on the house network and your phone. You can search online to see if it's true or not." He offered a grim smile. "I'll wait."

"Right here? In front of you?"

"You've proven untrustworthy," he said softly, holding up her coat. "And no matter what you think of what you've read, you're well and truly grounded. No friends are coming over. No phone after this. No games or internet. Just you, books, and homework."

Yang growled at the punishment. She could work out how to get around that later, first she grabbed the clippings.

* * *

**House Fire on Season Avenue**

_One Dead and Several Injured, Suspected Arson_

A fire broke on Saturday on Season Avenue. Firefighters rushed to the scene at one a.m. to put out the fire, but when they arrived the fire had already spread to the second story. The family living in the home was asleep when the fire started, and an ambulance was quickly added to the call. One body has been found, unnamed, and two people were rushed to the hospital...

**Victim of Seasonal Avenue Fire Name Released**

_Cause of the Fire Still Under Investigation_

Vernal Spring, 26, was killed Saturday in a fire at her home on Season Avenue. She is survived by her sister Amber, who is in critical condition in the hospital as a result of trying to escape the fire that consumed the family home. Another injury has been reported, though next of kin have not yet been notified...

**Arson Confirmed on Seasonal Avenue Fire**

_Investigators Still Looking Into Motive_

Accelerants were confirmed on the Seasonal Avenue fire last week, and investigators are now shifting their investigation to determine who and why someone would want to set the fire. Vernal Spring, 26 and her sister Amber, 28 were living in the home. Amber is still in critical condition and cannot give information, forcing investigators to use other methods...

**Person of Interest in Seasonal Avenue Fire Named**

_Police Looking for Information on Woman, Raven Branwen_

After two weeks of investigation, police have released a person of interest in the case of the Seasonal Avenue Fire: Raven Branwen, 26. Police have determined that she was in a relationship with the victim, Vernal Spring…

**Sister of Seasonal Avenue Fire Wakes, Accuses Woman of Murder**

_Amber Spring, Previously in Critical Condition, Now Accuses Sister's Fiancee of Murder and Arson_

The house fire on Seasonal Avenue last month has now experienced a break in the case with the waking of Amber Spring, sister to the deceased Vernal Spring, 26. Spring provided investigators more information to the relationship between Vernal and Raven Branwen. Branwen's brother, Qrow, is also helping police in the investigation though he declined to comment…

**Suspect Arrested in Arson, Murder Case**

_Police Now Have Accused Killer Raven Branwen in Custody_

Raven Branwen, 26, is now under arrest and being held as a suspect in the murder of Vernal Spring in the Seasonal Avenue fire two months ago. Police say that Branwen has a history of burglary and con artistry. It was believed that Branwen was trying to go straight while in a relationship with the deceased, but it is now believed that Branwen was instead working another mark. Details have been supplied by her brother, Qrow Branwen, and her former fiance, Tai Xiao Long, about her modus operandi. It has been revealed that she was the sole inheritor of Spring's estate, initially leading investigators to name her as a person of interest. After the deceased's sister, Amber, woke from critical condition as a result of the Seasonal Avenue fire and was interviewed, more details came to light.

Police arrived at Branwen's apartment and arrested her for arson, murder, and other charges yesterday…

**Justice Brought to Spring Family**

_Branwen Sentenced to Life_

Raven Branwen, convicted of conning Spring Vernal out of her inheritance and then killing her, was sentenced today to life imprisonment. At the sentencing was Spring's family: Amber Spring, Sister, Fria Neige, Grandmother, and Pietro Poledina, engaged to Amber. Also at the sentencing was Qrow Branwen, the perpetrator's brother, and Tai Xiao Long, the perpetrator's prior fiance…

* * *

Yang's hands shook as she went article by article through everything her dad had laid out. This… couldn't be. No! Her mom couldn't be like this! A con artist? A… an arsonist? A _murderer_? No way!

"This isn't right!" she shouted. "No way in hell! She's my _mom_ , she couldn't have done all this!"

Her dad raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he asked in a deceptively light tone. "Because you know her so well, you know she wouldn't do all this?"

"But she's my _mom_!"

After a heavy sigh, her dad leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Yang, even after your mother left, I never would have thought this of her either. Yeah, she and Qrow were honest about their upbringing once they trusted us, but Qrow was past that. He was devoted to all of us. I thought your mother was too-"

"Then you must have pushed her away! Done something!"

He shook his head. "No. Your mother is a complicated, ambitious woman. Maybe if she stayed she'd be better. But she got cold-feet and she ran."

"That's my _mom_ you're talking about!" Yang hissed.

"Sweetie, shut up," her father said firmly. "You're talking like you know your mom. You don't. She left months after you were born. You don't know her. You've built up an image from fairy tales of what a mother is supposed to be and your mom won't ever live up to that. No mother could."

"But she's still a _mom_!"

And her dad looked at her so _sadly_. "Being a parent doesn't guarantee love for a child. It should. But reality isn't that kind. When I was in high school I volunteered at a social services center. I saw a mother who was sick of how her life was going be asked to choose between her two-year-old child or brand new lover. She chose the lover without hesitation."

"Yeah, fine, there are people like that, but my mom..."

" _You don't know your mother._ "

Yang scowled.

"Think of it this way," he said patiently. "Do you think Weiss's father loves her?"

"No! You heard the things he's said to her!"

"But he's her _father_."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And that's it right there." Slowly, her dad sat back and looked so damn tired. "Raven is your mom. Well, yeah, _but_."

Yang huffed. "Then why didn't either of you tell me?" she screamed. "Why let me build a mom from fairy tales just to shred them with _this_ ," she shoved the clippings across the table, letting them flitter and scatter to the floor. "I _deserved_ to know!"

"Yes, you did," her father nodded. "And I've told you."

" _No you didn't!_ " she screamed. "You didn't say a word till today! A _week_ before her parole hearing! I should have known _earlier_!"

"When?" he retorted. "When you were three and she first attempted to get early parole? That was denied summarily. It's been a decade and her initial parole was set for when you were sixteen. Should we have-"

" _Anything_ would be better than this!"

"Any time we told you you would _be_ like this."

"How can you say that!" Yang was still screaming and she was ignoring how hot her cheeks were and how damp her eyes felt. "Why did it take _this_ to tell me? You were looking for signs? I'm _thirteen_ , I'm almost an adult! Surely I've proven that I should know!"

And her dad held up the coat she'd tried to sneak away in, gestured to all the snacks that she'd been stowing, and pulled out the wallet she'd been hiding money in and her now rumpled map. "Since when is running away a sign of being an adult?"

"You didn't give me a choice! You weren't going to let me come with you, you were _lying to me_ , you were avoiding even talking about her, Uncle Qrow wouldn't-"

"You don't get to talk to Qrow about it unless he brings it up and you _will_ respect his boundaries on this."

"Why the hell should I?"

Another heavy sigh. "Tell me, Yang, if you had a broken bone, would you want others hitting the cast?"

Yang stuttered at the change in subject. "No, what the hell?"

"Qrow has a cast around anything to deal with Raven." He looked at her _hard_. "Don't break that open. Let him tell you as he sees fit. You've heard enough of how he grew up to know that it's a touchy subject."

"Oh, so _Uncle Qrow_ can have secrets now?" Yang said bitterly.

"No, your uncle has _scars_ and he doesn't need you ripping them open with a dull spoon."

" _That doesn't make any sense!_ "

Her dad rubbed at his chin and beard. "Hmmm, I think you need to work at a crisis center this summer. That will be part of your grounding. You need some sensitivity pounded into that head of yours."

Yang was so _furious_! "This is entirely _beside the point_! You never told me about Mom! This-" she held up one of the clippings she'd rumpled, "-can't be her!"

Outside they heard a car pulling up.

"Ah," her dad said softly, leaning forward to start sweeping up the clippings, including the ones on the floor. "Ruby's home now. So Yang, how do _you_ want her to find out about Raven?"

Yang stuttered again, thinking of Ruby's bright smile and quiet belief in everyone. And for the briefest of flashes, she wondered what hearing this would do to that bright smile.

"Well?"

" _I hate you!_ " she screamed with all her might and stomped to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that could have gone better. Yang has some very legitimate issues and Tai is alternating between doing what he'd promised to do when she was sixteen and damage control at the same time. Qrow starts digging his own grave before it even starts and Tai gets him out of the house before it all gets even worse. For reasons to be discussed next chapter things don't resolved neatly - as a commenter on AO3 pointed out, however well-intentioned, Tai and Qrow didn't exactly go about this the best way, and now Yang has to mentally resolve the mom she had built up in her head and the mom she actually has. Hmm, wonder who'll be babysitting her the day of the parole...?
> 
> Also Oscar, we start to see a little bit of what his story arc will be for this chapter. He has a lot of internal growing to do and the show came with pre-packaged bullies for exactly this kind of scenario. Cardin Winchester is basically a youtube comments section, so Oscar certainly gets provoked enough. Also, hi Jaune! We don't use you nearly as much as we should...
> 
> Next chapter: a diatribe on the philosophy of "just right."


	7. Chapter 7

Ozpin pulled up to the Xiao Long household, parking in the driveway and leaning back in the car. He hated driving, his bad leg always suffered for it, even short drives like this. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose.

Qrow had been more and more agitated as the date of the hearing approached, his words short and clipped, his manners dark. It made Ozpin uncomfortable, "moody" was something he generally associated with… well, with Salem, and he didn't like even a faint comparison between the two. Unlike Salem, however, Qrow was fighting every step of the way to _not_ be those things. After snapping, he would apologize; he forced himself to smile when they would first greet each other in the parking lot. He explained the fight with young Yang as they finally explained the sordid tale, and the stubborn denial that she held at home. Ozpin watched Yang's face - normally so open and bright - cloud to something dark and pensive.

Sighing, he pulled himself out of the car and walked up to the front door, ringing the front bell.

"Hey," Qrow said as he opened the door, in faded slacks and a grey button down shirt, red tie half wound around his neck. It was the most formal Ozpin had ever seen him, he cleaned up well, but his eyes were a thunderstorm of emotion. "Thanks for coming."

"You're most welcome," he said softly.

"Sorry you have to do this."

Ozpin smiled. "You seem to forget that I volunteered," he said, stepping inside and shedding his coat. "Is Ruby here as well?"

"No, she said she wanted to go to school."

"I understand."

"Oz!"

"Tai. A pleasure to see you, as always."

The blond was also well dressed, brown suit, white button down, and - Oz glanced - the same red tie as Qrow. They matched. "A unified front," he observed, "Subtle but powerful. I'm sure things will go your way."

Tai's smile was as strained as Qrow's eyes as he scratched the back of his head. "We'll see," he said gently. "Thanks for doing this."

Oz shook his head. "It saves me two hours on the road in the cold. And as I told Qrow, I volunteered."

"Yang! Yang, get over here!"

"Unless I'm going to the parole hearing I don't want to talk to you!" a disembodied voice said from down the hall.

Oz and Tai shared a look, but Qrow frowned and marched down the hall. "You're gonna show manners, firecracker," he said in an ominous tone that made the toes curl in Ozpin's shoes. He held a breath, released it, and forced himself to focus on Tai. "When's the hearing?"

"Ten o'clock," Tai answered, sighing. "Last one took about an hour, and then we all had lunch together. Kinda like detox or something. Qrow said Penny - that's Amber's daughter - might be there. It makes me wonder if we should bring Yang, but…"

Ozpin nodded. "I understand. I'll keep you informed if anything happens."

Qrow was back, all but shoving Yang to the living room. The teen looked at Oz, violet eyes wide and then immediately narrow, shrewd.

"No," Qrow said almost automatically. "You are _not_ going to plan on outrunning him, because no matter how fast you are you are not as fast as speed dial - and hell or high water I _will_ leave the hearing to drag your sorry ass back here and then being grounded will be the _least_ of your worries. Now _sit down_ and play nice."

Yang flopped onto the couch, crossing her arms and glaring at her knees.

Ozpin smiled, "I'll take it from here. She'll be fine."

"Thanks. Really, thanks."

"Love you, Yang!" Tai said, reaching down to give his daughter a kiss. She refused, turning her head, and Tai just sighed, straightening and putting on his coat.

Qrow simply waved, slouched forward and marched away. The back door opened and closed, they listened to the engine start, and Oz at least watched them pull out of the driveway and leave for the hearing. The ensuing silence was, perhaps, a little awkward, but Ozpin knew the power of silence, and he turned and hobbled over to the recliner. He sat slowly, stretching his bad leg out. The corgi moved in and out of the room, oblivious to the tension.

"Are you gonna try and talk to me?" she asked, sullen.

"Only if you wish," Ozpin said, throwing his eyes to her. "Pain like this is intimate, and sharing it with others can be sometimes repugnant."

Violet eyes darted to him and then back to her knees. "What would you know?" she muttered. " _Your_ mom isn't in _jail_."

"That is true," Ozpin said, hand sliding down his cane for a better grip. "Your specific pain isn't one that I can entertain, but - if I may be so bold - you are young enough yet to not realize that pain itself is something shared across the human condition, and the only thing blocking empathy is the degree of pain someone has suffered."

"Look, I'm not interested in whatever lesson you think you can teach me, _professor_ , so just forget it."

Too angry, then. Oz simply nodded, let the conversation drop, and pulled out a book and his phone. The phone he placed on the arm of the chair, in easy reach, and opened his paperback, letting the string of a bookmark dangle from a loose finger. He read surreptitiously, mostly listening to young Miss Xiao Long as she sulked. He could just see her through the sweep of his hair open her mouth twice to say something before thinking better of it. She finally turned on the TV, flipping channels. That made reading harder, but Ozpin was fine with that, he was more interested in Yang's mood regardless.

Qrow texted when they arrived at the prison, and again when the meeting started. Oz considered telling Yang this, but decided against it. She was a tightly coiled spring, and for now he didn't want to spin her any tighter.

Only when he was certain that she wasn't going to try and run did he put his book away and stand, leaning on his good leg and playing with his bad one, rolling his ankle and stretching out the muscles. Yang watched from the couch, her eyes were assessing but Oz made a point of checking his phone to silently remind her that running was a bad idea. He moved to the kitchen, warming a pan for milk and chocolate. Cocoa powder wasn't going to cut it today. He made two mugs and pulled out a simple heart shaped straw he'd bought years ago. Carrying two mugs was difficult, he had to pin his cane under his arm and hobble without its support, but he'd done it before more than once on campus and was able to avoid any spillage.

He placed the mug with the heart shaped straw on the coffee table by Miss Xiao Long and worked to sit back down. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said softly.

She stared at the homemade hot chocolate, eyes darting up to him as if he were expecting something, but Oz simply sipped his own hot chocolate and savored the warmth as it slid down his esophagus. Eventually, she took the mug and sipped through the straw. In spite of herself she smiled.

That was the most she had given all day, and Oz took that as a sign. "Once upon a time," he said, "There was a girl named Goldilocks."

"Ugh, I already know that story," Yang cut in.

"Oh, everyone knows the story," Ozpin said, leaning back with his mug. "But the lesson often gets lost, diluted as children grow up. The thing I always find the most interesting is the phrase 'just right.' Porridge was too hot or too cold, beds were too hard and soft, chairs were too big and too small, but always she found a 'just right.' As I grow older, I often wonder what 'just right' actually is." He sipped, savored the chocolate. "This," he said, raising his mug. "This is just right. But Oscar much prefers when I add an extra teaspoon of sugar. For me it's too sweet but for him it's 'just right.'"

"So?"

"Well, it occurred to me the other day that Oscar grew up with me baking," Oz explained. "Our home, especially now, is filled with cookies and fresh bread and cakes and hot chocolate." He lifted his mug again. "No one in my family growing up could really cook; _I_ , by contrast, grew up on microwaved and instant meals. It took me a good several years before I was confident in my cooking, let alone my baking. My 'just right' is quite different from others as a result. Even in the fairy tale - Papa bear was tall and lean, liking things big and firm. Mama bear was warm and gentle, so she liked things soft and cool. Their respective chairs and beds and porridge, they were 'just right' for them. Knowing 'just right,' then, is as much a statement of the person as it is about the thing that is 'just right.'"

"Get to the point, Professor," Miss Xiao Long said. "I know this lecture is going somewhere."

Oz's phone, on silent, flickered on his lap but he ignored it. Yang didn't, eyes snapping to the phone but she couldn't read it from her angle.

"As you wish," he said instead. "If 'just right' is a statement of the person, then we can now turn our attention to your father and uncle. You, Miss Xiao Long, have very firmly established that 'just right' for you was knowing the circumstances of your mother's incarceration from the start. You have taken the time to study yourself, and you know that such a decision was 'just right' for you. Then, the converse of that sentiment is this: why was withholding the information from you 'just right' for your father and uncle?"

Yang looked away. "Because they hate me," she said, voice low and hurt.

"You don't truly believe that," Ozpin said.

"Yes I do."

"Then how can you justify them raising you? Giving you sleepovers, teaching you to defend yourself, expressing pride over your grades and social graces?"

"How about keeping the truth from me?"

"And now we get to the crux of the matter: pain."

"... what?"

Oz leaned forward. "You are in pain right now, Yang," he said. "We can all see it, we can all understand it, we can all agree on it. Here is what I am curious about: can you see the pain your father and uncle are suffering?"

Yang huffed. For a minute, Ozpin thought she was going to argue, but a thoughtful look finally bloomed on her face. Then she shook her head, crossing her arms. "What pain would _they_ feel?" she muttered.

Got her.

Oz leaned back and took a long sip of his hot chocolate, giving her a moment to languish in the question. "I assume you've told your sister Ruby everything," he said. "Told her what your mother did to cause her incarceration."

"Yeah, so what? She had a right to know, too."

"Yes, we've established that that is your particular version of 'just right.' Tell me, how did this new information affect Ruby?"

"What do you mean? Ruby's fine."

"Oh?"

Yang frowned, staring at him. She was smart enough to know he was leading her on, but she didn't know the end of the lesson. Her gaze lost focus as she turned her mind back. Ozpin offered narration: "I would guess that you told Ruby about a week ago," he said, "Because starting last week she has been much quieter. She hasn't tackled your uncle in greeting, in fact she seems very hesitant to intrude on him at all when we pick you up. She looks over at you when you have occasion to make a reference to either your father or uncle, and she's been very pensive overall. Tell me, you know Miss Rose better than I, is she really fine?"

Yang was thinking hard now, her brow slowly creasing as she tried to recollect the changes. Zwei hopped up onto the couch, putting his head on Yang's lap.

"Ruby, like you, now has to come to terms with what her - I suppose we'll call her a step-mother - with what her step-mother did. She now understands that she lives in a world where people in her family can be considered bad. Not bad in the nebulous way of someone being in jail for an unknown crime, but for the unforgivable and calculated act of murder and arson. She has to reconcile that Qrow is related by blood to this unforgivable person, and she has to reconcile that her beloved sister is the daughter of this person. The color of her world is darker now, stained in a way that a simple hug and pat on the head cannot change. Is Ruby better for knowing this, then? Did this make her happier? Did it bring her satisfaction, like it did for you?"

"I'm not _satisfied_ ," Yang protested, but her words were empty of energy.

"But surely it was 'just right' that she knew? That was what she told you, that she needed to know for her own betterment, as you told your father?"

"... she never said anything," she replied.

Oz theatrically cocked his head to one side. "Then how did you know what her 'just right' was? If you had phone privileges and asked her right now if she had wanted to know, what would she have said?"

"That's not fair," Yang said, rallying and trying to hold her ground. "She's not a part of this, she's not the one being lied to."

"Then let's turn this around again," Ozpin said. "How were Qrow and Taiyang to know what your 'just right' was?"

"They should have told me from the start."

"I see," Ozpin said. "Right when you were born then? Or when you were old enough to speak? Perhaps your first day of school - that would be a wonderful way to commemorate the beginning of young life, to learn that one's mother was the villain of a dark fairy tale."

" _No_ ," Yang said, "They should have told me when I found out she was in jail in the first place!"

Ozpin hadn't known that, Qrow hadn't mentioned how Yang had learned of her mother's situation, only that she knew. He was on a roll, now, reaching the height of his lecture. Still, he seized on the original point of his thought experiment. "Very well," he said, conceding the point to dismiss it quickly, "we've already established your 'just right,' and we've established the ambiguity of Ruby's 'just right.' Now back to the original question I posed: do you know what your father's 'just right' is? Or Qrow's?"

"What does it _matter_?" she said, digging her heels in. "They _knew_."

"And knowing has clearly made Ruby much better off, hasn't it?" Oz asked.

And finally, _finally_ her eyes widened, and she saw the point he was reaching for.

"Qrow must be so proud to know what his sister did, he must feel such satisfaction that the person he was closest to since childhood, the person who helped him escape the abuse of growing up, turned out to be even more broken than he himself was. Taiyang must feel nothing less than contentment to know that the woman he loved, the woman who bore his child, was so utterly terrified of the happiness he offered. Your father and uncle are so much better for having gone through the investigation, the trial, the interviews with the papers. They both must love knowing what your mother did."

Yang, tall as she was for thirteen, looked incredibly small, sitting there on the couch, the low hum of the TV on and the corgi in her lap and the weight of the realization slowly pulling her down. Oz finally looked at his phone.

_Parole denied. Eating with the Poledinas._

He nodded, and shifted his weight in the chair, alternating the angle of his bad leg.

* * *

Much later, after some searching, he finally found the number he wanted on his phone, and he looked up to Qrow's niece.

"Yang," he asked softly. "What is it that you want?"

She looked up to him, and she was so lost. Oscar had looked like that, when he finally woke up in the hospital. His heart broke all over again to see that look on Qrow's niece, and he hated that he was the one that put it there.

"I just…" she started to say. "I just… I want to know her."

"You know something of her now."

"Yeah…" she said, looking down. "But it's not the same… I want… I want to talk to her, I want to know why she… why she did all of that."

Ozpin breathed in deeply through his nose. "You may not like her answer," he said. "Knowing might hurt you more than not knowing."

"I know… but… still…"

Oz looked at the number he'd found on his phone, looked at Yang, thought about how much Qrow would hate him for this, how much trust he was breaching with this decision. Whom should he value, in this moment? Qrow? Or Yang? He thought about Oscar visiting him in the hospital, and he knew he'd already made the decision.

"Please forgive me for this," he murmured, and dialed. Yang watched him as he dialed the penitentiary and explained that he would like to talk to an inmate there, her eyes doubling in size as she realized what he was doing. It took several minutes to connect, and in that time Ozpin put his phone on speaker and placed it on the arm of his chair. Yang darted to the floor, startling Zwei into hopping away, and stared at the phone, but he didn't remove his hand - he wanted her to know that he could and would revoke the phone call if it wasn't by his rules.

" _Hello?_ " A rich contralto voice, firm and with an edge to it.

"... Mom?"

"... _Yang?_ "

Ozpin held his breath, hoping, _begging,_ that this was the right decision.

"Is it true?" Yang asked, "Did you really do that stuff they said online?"

The pause stretched out for almost a minute, a hundred thoughts playing out over Yang's face, and Oz about to say something then, " _Yes, it's true._ "

Yang's eyes filled with tears. "But _why_?" she demanded, voice rising.

" _Does it even matter?_ " the woman on the other end said. " _I was young, and scared, and stupid. I made a lot of mistakes. But I've learned a lot since then, I'm a lot better now. I've thought of you every day, and that's why I wanted parole - so I could see you._ "

Yang was beside herself. "See me?" she asked.

" _Yes. I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you my side of the story. I want to be in your life - even if Qrow and Tai turn you against me_."

Oz hissed and pulled the phone to his mouth. "It would appear that you are rusty in your tactics," he said, "Thank you for pointing that out."

" _Who the hell are y-_ " He hung up.

"What did you do _that_ for?" Yang demanded.

Oz closed his eyes, holding in his wince of pain. "We've heard everything we need," he said.

"What are you talking about? We barely even said two words to each other!"

"But we now know she hasn't learned anything in her time incarcerated."

"As if! How could you possibly know that?" Yang demanded, irate.

"Because she immediately tried to pit you against your father and uncle," Oz replied.

"What are you even _talking_ about? She wants to see me! She said she wants to see me!"

"Yes," Oz conceded, "But ask yourself how she worded it: she could explain 'her side' of the story. What purpose is there being to a side of a story that involves murder? She expressed desire even if the men who had raised you 'turned you against her.' If she were truly repentant for her crimes, if she had truly learned from her mistakes, then why is she desperate to have you as a defender?"

"Well who else is going to do it?"

"Who indeed?" Oz countered. "Why isn't her brother defending her? Why isn't the father of her child defending her? Do Tai and Qrow strike you as the type to abandon family so thoroughly just on a whim?"

" _She wants me in her life!_ "

"And all the letters she's ever sent you have expressed that sentiment, I'm sure," Ozpin said, nodding.

"Letters?"

"Yes, of course," Ozpin said. "It would only be natural for a mother away from her child to be in contact constantly - sending letters or emails, making calls even if it meant dealing with the family that abandoned her. I assume you enjoy getting the mail as a daily chore to see if you've received a letter from her?"

Her eyes were wide again, her world was tilting yet once more, and Oz was so sorry that he had any part of this. "She… she never sent any letters."

And then, finally, she cried. Ozpin worked his way to his feet and moved around the coffee table, sitting next to her. She buried herself into his frame, everything crashing down all around her as the image she had built up of her mother finally broke. Oz held her, rubbing a shoulder, rocking back and forth like he used to do with Oscar when he was smaller, when his legs both worked properly.

It was half an hour later that Tai and Qrow came home to the back end of the storm, Yang having cried herself out and sitting numbly at Oz's shoulder, staring at nothing.

"Hey," Taiyang said quickly, pulling off his coat. "How's my sunny dragon doing?"

She just hugged him, only saying, "She never sent letters…" And she started to cry again. Tai quickly started moving her to her room, and Oz worked his way to his feet again, hurting that he had done that to Yang. He and Qrow moved to the coat closet, Oz grabbing his coat and putting it on. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Qrow said. "We were all waiting for her to finally break, it was just a matter of time."

"No," Ozpin corrected, looking down at his shoes, the tip of his cane. "I'm the one who caused it," he confessed.

Qrow was already shaking his head but Oz held up a hand to forestall whatever he was going to say. "You misunderstand," he said. "I know your feelings on Miss Xiao Long; and you and Mr. Xiao Long made your desire to keep her separate from her mother very clear. I violated that wish."

He didn't dare look up. The silence told him everything.

"... What?"

"I called the penitentiary after the hearing. I got her mother on the phone, and they talked."

" _What?_ " The tone was lower, almost a growl, an unspoken threat that filled Oz with equal parts shame and guilt.

"I worked…" he tried to explain, "I tried very hard to help her. We talked about Goldilocks and what the phrase 'just right' means and how to understand-"

"Get out."

Ozpin closed his eyes and sighed. "Of course," he said. He limped out the front door, the door slamming almost immediately behind him, and his heart was somewhere in his stomach by the time he reached the car, and his vision was blurry on the ride home.

* * *

Weiss was exhausted. For some reason, over the weekend, someone had started protesting her family's company and it blew up on social media. Over the course of the week more and more people had ended up outside the Schnee Construction Company. People from all over New England had shown up with signs, chants, and anger. Her father had initially thought nothing over it, had come home saying it would all blow over since protesters never had the wherewithal to stick out whatever they were trying to change. But every day it got worse and worse and now reporters were calling for statements of _him_ specifically, not just whatever the company line was.

And as her father came home angrier and angrier, he went for the liquor cabinet to unwind. His fury was louder and louder and longer and longer.

Dinner was an endurance run. Weiss and her mother were silent, barely moving beyond fork to mouth, and staring at their food. Whitley just nodded and agreed with their dad, not understanding that it meant that their dad's focus was now on _him_. Their dad was starting to critique Whitley and nitpick everything from his grades to how he dressed for school. The rich private school that Whitley was sent to with the strict uniform policy.

Last night had been particularly bad.

Weiss had been listening to her music to tune out the arrival of her father and hadn't noticed the time. She'd been busy with finishing her homework. She had only _just_ looked at the clock and realized she had been late for dinner and had run down.

She was late by three minutes.

"Ah, the lost daughter returns," her father had sneered.

_Oh no, his attention is on me now…._

Her mother just stared at her plate, and Whitley seemed to have _finally_ learned the lesson to _not_ speak up.

So Weiss kept her face blank, calmly sat down at her spot, and waited. This was the point that her father would ring the bell for dinner and start ranting about protesters, and probably about something she had messed up on since she now had his attention.

But he didn't. He just glared at her.

"You're aware that you're a disgrace to the family, aren't you?" he asked.

Weiss didn't say a word, she just stared down at her plate.

" _Speak up_."

Weiss felt her breath hitched. "I am the valedictorian of my class," she replied softly, "I excel in music and choir, as you always have me sing at functions, I-"

"You're _useless_. A pretty ornament to put on display and nothing more."

Weiss could feel her jaw tighten. She was _proud_ of her singing. She was _proud_ of her grades. Because none of that involved her father.

And it had only gotten worse from there.

Her father had held dinner for an _hour_ to dig in to her, then spent _two hours_ through dinner haranguing the protesters, the stock prices, his plans for expansion outside of New England. All intermixed with how she wasn't a good heiress. She sat there and took it like she was supposed to: holding her tongue and saying nothing until she had a migraine. Her mother had already gone through a bottle of wine, and Whitley had somehow been excused to his room in the middle of it all to "go back to being a good son and outperforming his sisters in everything."

The migraine was still there that morning, and Weiss acted like it wasn't. She slipped to the medicine cabinet, took a single ibuprofen, and did the rest of her routine before heading to school. Her migraine got worse as the day continued, and at lunch, when she sat down with her friends, she just wanted to bury her head in her elbows and ignore the bright March sunshine that was coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Food didn't appeal to her and she just sat and ate her food mechanically, because she knew skipping a meal would be bad for her and she'd probably be hungry later.

Yang and Ruby were still quiet. They had been since the parole hearing that Weiss made sure her father never heard about by never mentioning it within a mile of Whitley. She wasn't looking forward to going home. Every day this week had been abysmal and yesterday had just been the worst. But she needed an excuse to give her father.

So despite her churning stomach and adverse reaction to bright lights, she turned to her friends, put on a smile, and asked, "Does anyone need help with homework? I'd be willing to come over and assist you."

"I'm good," Yang said sullenly.

"No homework yet," Ruby replied.

"I'm supposed to see my boyfriend this afternoon." Blake kept her nose in her book.

"Oh," Weiss said. _Damn it. I'm going to have to go home_.

Ruby looked at her and offered a small grin. "Want to come over anyway? You don't have to come over just because you're helping us with homework."

"I…" Weiss looked down to avoid the lights and pushed the heel of her hand against her headache. "I always need a reason…" she said without thinking.

"Reason?" Blake asked, book now closed and set aside.

 _Argh! I shouldn't have said that out loud!_ She winced and that just made her head pound all the harder.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"I need a reason," she said softly, "to not come home right after school. I've always used tutoring you as my excuse."

"To avoid going home?" Ruby reached out and pulled Weiss over to put her arm around her shoulders.

"Don't touch me," Weiss said without any energy, even as she leaned into the embrace.

The three girls looked at each other. "Weiss?" Ruby asked gently.

"The protests are making things…. Difficult."

Blake looked away.

"You know what," Ruby brightened, "I think I need some help in social studies. All the dates are just so easily confused, and the reasoning behind the war was really nuanced and hard to understand."

Yang snorted. "I always need help in math."

Blake looked between all three of them and her mouth twitched to a smile. "I'll make sure all of you read something."

Weiss smiled in relief.

* * *

At Mr. Xiao Long's house, Weiss basically buried herself into the couch and ignored any sources of light or noise to try and make her migraine go away. Her friends seemed to understand and stayed quiet. Mr. Branwen was around, but Weiss didn't pay any attention. She just retreated from the world and focused on pushing the migraine away. Deep breaths, no light, just quiet and sensing and feeling her body and what was needed where.

She wasn't sure how much later it was when she finally opened her eyes and sat up. It was later, that much was obvious. It was darker out, which meant…. What? Maybe closer to dinner time? Didn't matter. She rubbed her face and looked over at everyone. As was what she usually insisted on, all the homework was out and spread around the coffee table, everyone at their usual spots doing their work. If they were doing it this late, that meant they'd probably been down the hall goofing around so as to not disturb her.

Weiss let out a soft smile.

They'd even pulled out her books and had them ready for whenever she decided to get up.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her voice still thick from her not-quite nap.

They all looked up and Ruby laughed. "Ah! The Ice Queen has pillow imprinted on her cheek!"

Yang laughed as well. "And bed head, don't forget that. The mighty princess has fallen."

"Whatever," she said with a quiet laugh, still rubbing at her forehead. The migraine had downgraded. Solid headache, but no longer impossible to work around.

Blake pushed over a bowl. "Snacks are lacking without Professor Ozpin, but Mr. Qrow was able to mix nuts and berries. He insisted we needed something healthier than cookies and cakes."

Weiss took a handful. "What's up with Mr. Branwen, anyway? He's been super sullen."

"He's fighting with Professor Ozpin," Blake answered.

"Oh? Why?"

Yang was clearly looking away.

"Yang?"

There was a knock on the door and Yang immediately got up to go answer it. Weiss shrugged and ate her handful of nuts and berries.

Then she froze.

That was her _father_ at the door.

" _Shit_ ," she hissed, diving to the floor. She pulled over Ruby's notebook. Math. Grabbed her notebook. Flipped to math. "So, the negative in front of the y means there's an invisible coefficient of one-"

"Uh, Weiss?" Ruby looked confused. Good. All the better. "Why are you-"

"Ah, Weiss," her father strolled in, looking charming, debonair, and in his best white suit.

Dammit. That meant he'd talked to reporters.

"Hello, Father," she stood, straightening out her skirt. "This is a surprise," she offered demurely.

"Really?" her father said. "I came home and you weren't home yet. I was worried."

He'd come home early? _Shiiiiiiiiit_.

"I had texted Klein that I was going to be tutoring my friends. I haven't seen them since-"

"Come, Weiss, we'll talk more on the way home. Our driver has the engine running."

Her jaw clenched. _No_. Not home. Not _now_. She saw the signs. This would be _bad_.

She let out the softest of sighs. "Of course, Father."

"Weiss?"

She looked at Ruby. Offered her best fake smile. "I'll see you all tomorrow." _As soon as she could get out of the house_.

Blake was looking with narrowed eyes, Yang was starting to get angry, and Ruby… Ruby looked sad.

 _Nope. Nope. Nope. Not going to cry. Don't shed a tear. Not in front of_ him.

She blinked it away and followed her father out the door.

"Really, Weiss?" her father said with shame and disgust. "You're lowering yourself, you know."

Her jaw clenched again and Weiss resigned herself to letting her migraine come back. "Grandfather made a point of always helping others. I'm continuing the family name by tutoring my classmates-"

"Oh yes, keep up that good name of the family," her father retorted, turning to look at her just a few steps from the front door, "but helping _that_ sort?"

Clenched jaw. Slow deep breath.

"We are all in the same class together," she replied. "It was the best way to better my grades by-"

"Then we'll get you a tutor and I'll call your school to get you into an honors class or some such," he said dismissively.

Her jaw worked hard to hold back what she _wanted_ to say. " _I'm_ the one tutoring," she repeated herself in the vain hope he would remember this time. "Teaching is one of the best ways to ensure one knows the material-"

Her father sliced his hand across and cut her off. "You're not listening, Weiss," he said firmly. "I did a background check on that motley group."

Weiss felt her eyes widen and knew she was probably getting pale.

"You know that that Yang girl is half criminal? Her uncle probably still runs scams. I won't have you-"

"She is _not_ a crimi-"

"And with that sketchy uncle doing half the raising, I'm sure that the garnet girl-"

"Her name is _Ruby_."

"Whatever, I'm sure she's learning to steal as well. You're being deceived and manipulated, Weiss," he said so softly and gently. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Weiss could feel her jaw straining to hold back her screams and curses. She took a very deep breath.

"One can't judge someone based off of their family," Weiss said firmly. "Yang has had no contact with her mother, and Mr. Branwen works very hard-"

" _You will not associate with criminal riff-raff like that_!"

Weiss instinctively took a step back. "But-"

"And that Blake is the worst," her father continued as if he hadn't just shouted. He looked at her pitiably. "I thought Blake was a boy. It did your father proud to hear you even mentioning a boy. But instead it's a girl. And clearly a Belladonna. She's clearly been the worst influence, given her parents. Given their stance on things it makes sense that they couldn't even figure out the gender of their own child. Lounging around with criminals and political upstarts. Look, you have pillow marks on our face, you really _were_ lounging instead of tutoring. Now you're lying to me. That Belladonna girl is the reason you're like this and you won't be seeing any of _this_ sort again."

"You _can't_ do that!"

"You're grounded Weiss, until you understand who to associate with."

" _Father_ -"

"Now come along. You've already made me come all the way out here and be polite to-"

"You know, you're lacking in politeness," came the graveled voice of Mr. Branwen. From right behind Weiss.

She whirled and he was right there, in the front door. Oh god, her father said all that on the _front steps_? Ohhhh, she was certain all her friends had left the door open and heard all that.

"Mr. Branwen," she started, "I apologize for-"

"Weiss, you've got nothing to apologize for," he replied. "Mr. Jaques-ass here, is another story."

She immediately covered her mouth to hide a snort.

"I _beg_ your pardon?"

"Oh, Mr. High and Mighty thinks it's okay to insult a man and his family on his own front steps?" Mr. Branwen stepped forward, slouched and hands in his pockets. "You can get the fuck off our lawn."

"Yeah!"

Weiss turned and saw Ruby and Yang both in the front door, standing straight, arms crossed, and looking down their noses at her father.

" _Jaques-asses_ aren't welcome in homes of love and tolerance!" Yang growled.

"And Ice Queens are _always_ welcome in homes of love and tolerance!" Ruby proclaimed.

And behind them, Blake was leveling a look of cold fury.

Oh, her eyes were getting wet again and this was going to make it _so much worse_ once she was home, but it meant _so much_.

Her father merely scoffed. "Thank you for proving my point entirely. Come along, Weiss."

"You don't have to," Mr. Branwen said softly, looking her right in the eye and so gently.

 _If only that was true_.

She curtsied as she was taught. "Thank you for everything," she said politely. _I'll be back_ , she mouthed.

Because she wasn't going to be grounded. She wouldn't be taken away from her friends. They were the only bright spot she had right now.

She turned, back straight, head held high, shoulders back. She wouldn't let her father take this from her. Not at all.

"Of course, we'll have to fire Klein," her father was saying as she demurely got into the back seat with him. "And your behavior, young lady…"

She clenched her jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama chapter is drama. We did say we were drama authors first, right?
> 
> We don't get the chance to do it with everybody but we liked the idea of referencing fairy tales with their associated characters, and here's the first example of that. Philosophy Professor Oz leads Yang through a line of thought to get her to understand that Tai and Qrow might not have been right in holding things from her, but that they had to make a very hard decision and did the best they could so that they could fix the relationship. As an added bonus Ozpin, whom we've hinted is an abuse survivor, immediately recognized Raven's language as divisive and manipulative, something that took us years to recognize on our own.
> 
> The Raven arc is now basically closed, Yang has learned a lesson and will be a little more mature for it.
> 
> Weiss' plate meanwhile keeps spinning. Hers takes the longest to resolve over the course of the fic and as a result her arc kind of wanders in and out of the fic. Also, migraines. One of us suffers from chronic headaches/migraines and they suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Note that Weiss choses to keep the peace and go back with her father. Next time... well.
> 
> Also, OzQrow drama. Qrow's had a bad couple of months, hasn't he?
> 
> Next chapter: Oz and Qrow finally, really, talk.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, Jaune, look."

"What am I supposed to be looking at, Cardin?"

"Oscar Pine. Isn't that his dad?"

"Yeah, he's always picked up by his dad. Why?"

"Look at him, he's a gimp!"

"... What's a gimp?"

"He's _lame!_ "

"You haven't even talked to him, how could you know he's la-"

"Never mind, shut up Jaune. Here, let's have some fun."

"I don't get it, what do you want me to do with a skateboard?"

"You like knocking him over in gym, don't you? Knock him over again."

" _Cardin_ , his dad's right there! Are you _trying_ to get me in trouble?"

"Geez, no wonder you have to cheat to pass, you really are an idiot! I'm saying you can run him over and run away. It'll be funny as hell to watch that old man try to chase you."

" _Cardin,_ this is a little much, I don't think-"

"You're not here to _think_ Jaune. Unless you want me to tell the teachers what a cheater you are?"

"... But I don't know how to skateboard, you never let me on you-"

"Here. Just get on."

"But how do I steer? How do I turn? How do I sto-oooooooop! I can't stop! Look out!"

* * *

Qrow was miserable since the parole hearing. Scratch that, he had been miserable since he got _home_ from the parole hearing. Hearing Oz admit to calling Raven, to _letting Yang speak to her_ , he was so mad Tai had to throw him out, and his walk had taken him all the way to the front steps of a bar before he realized how much danger he was in. He'd called Clover in a panic, had to have his sponsor drop what he was doing for two days to help him get his head back on straight. Two months until his coin. It had to matter, _it had to matter_ , _don't_ _waste all that work, you can get through this Qrow, you got through worse, it's okay, you can handle this._

He was still a mess, though. It was March, the worst month of the year because Su-he couldn't even finish the thought. He was still picking up the girls and he would watch Oz pull into the school parking lot and take his spot in the handicapped space. Qrow parked several rows away, but his eyes still trailed the green sedan as it pulled up, and he just pressed his head into the ring of the steering wheel. He couldn't even sit on his car hood anymore to absorb the engine's warmth, it was too associated with Oz and talking to him for those brief ten minutes before the bell rang.

All he could think about was the day Oz came to the apartment, and Qrow had used him as a dry run to explain Raven. He'd explained why Yang was in the dark, why they wanted to keep her in the dark - hell, Oz knew how bad a person like Raven _was_ , that level of empathy couldn't be faked - Qrow knew the art of the con and how to avoid the things you couldn't fake - Oz _understood_ , but _still_ he called Raven and put Yang on the phone. Even if he didn't understand - he _still_ went against the wishes of a _parent_ , and that was _huge_.

Just thinking about it had pissed him off again, and he glared across the parking lot at the green sedan, at Oz standing against the passenger door of his car like he was still holding a freaking conversation with him. Where did he get off… Qrow growled and pressed his forehead into the ring of the steering wheel again. He needed a drink.

He needed Clover. This was a bad day. He just wanted to be numb, he was tired of hurting over this, and no amount of soda or playing on his phone or staring off into space could turn it off and the timing of it all _sucked balls_. The bell rang and he didn't even look up, instead sighed all the way down.

He was afraid, deep down. Yang was Raven's daughter, and Raven was… was… she was _Raven_ , caustic and defensive and gun shy of honest emotion - and abusive, yes, he could use that word now, weird as it was - broken in a way she didn't even see. He didn't want that for Yang, didn't want her to create a shell around herself and attack anyone who threatened to break the shell. He didn't want her exposed to the damage that could do. He didn't want her to turn into Raven. But now she's _talked_ to her and-

"Hey, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said gently, knocking on the window of his car.

Cool Uncle time. Qrow leaned over and unlocked the passenger door for the girls to get in. He put his head back on the wheel. He didn't have the energy.

"Could… could you come out here?" Ruby asked. Qrow looked up at her through the window, frowned, but pulled his red scarf tighter and got out of the car. Ruby was worrying her hands, swinging side to side slightly, and Yang was at her shoulder, hair up in a ponytail. As one they wrapped their arms around his middle and pressed their faces into his chest. What…?

"What are you doing?" he asked, even as he reflexively put his hands around his two girls.

Ruby muffled something into his coat, but Yang looked up and gave him a look. Her eyes were just like Raven's. "We love you," she said simply, and the words and tone were nothing like his sister. "We know it's hard for you sometimes. But we love you, and we want you to be okay. We know March is hard.

"We don't want you to start drinking again."

Raven… never cared if he was okay, and hearing that on someone with her eyes… Qrow realized belatedly that Yang was nothing like Ray even after talking to her, and she was never going to turn into her anyway. He shuddered to realize it, realize all that fear and emotion had been wasted over something that would never happen, and something in him melted to see it was over nothing. He hugged them tighter, even engaged his core and lifted them up a little.

"I love you, too," he said. "You're right, it's been hard. But I'll get there, don't you worry."

Yang always took after Tai, anyway, he should never have even given it a second thought. _God_ he felt so much lighter.

"Good," Ruby said as the three detached. "We were worried you'd do something bad after breaking up with Professor Ozpin."

Qrow blinked. "Breaking…? Jesus, first Tai, then Clover, now you two? What do you see that I don't, huh?"

And Ruby gave her most earnest answer: "You smile."

Qrow frowned. Really…? He looked over to the green sedan and the white bob of hair. He was talking to Oscar, nodding about something, and smiling in some kind of response. Oscar moved around the car to get in, Oz following with his eyes.

And then there was a blonde kid, black hoodie with red lining, flailing on a skateboard. His arms were pinwheeling, it was obvious he had no idea what to do - he was trying to stop, shifting his weight to kick back and drag to a stop, but he didn't or couldn't commit to it until - at the last second - he managed to lift the front of the skateboard.

And ram it into Oz.

Holy-!

"Professor!"

The green sedan could be visibly seen shaking as Oscar scrambled out of his seat and Qrow was already moving, Ruby shooting ahead and Yang trailing after him. Oscar was screaming blue murder, tumbling around the car and diving on top of the blonde, Oz was crumpled to the ground and Qrow put on more speed. Ruby was pulling at Oscar and the kid had his hands up in defense of Oscar's aggression. "Yang!" he shouted. "Get him out of here!"

"Jaune you son of a bitch! When are you gonna stop doing what Cardin wants?!"

"I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ I couldn't stop; I was trying to stop; I've never ridden a skateboard before! Is he okay?"

"Oscar, come on, it's okay!"

" _No it's not!_ "

Qrow tuned it out, hopping over the hood of the green sedan and sliding the last few feet before landing on the asphalt on the other side. Oz was on his hip, holding his bad leg and himself very, very still. "Hey," Qrow said, crouching down and leaning forward. "You okay?"

Oz didn't answer, stared at nothing, but his breathing was short and shallow, like he was doing everything in his power to hide the pain, not cry out. Qrow put a hand on the man's shoulder, and his eyes darted up to Qrow but did nothing else, his focus entirely on being quiet. Not getting anything from the professor, Qrow moved his eyes down as well as his hands. The hip seemed okay, but the bad leg was…

"Ruby," he said, looking up. "Get the nurse!"

"Okay! Oscar, come _on!_ "

But the boy wriggled out of Ruby's grasp and plowed into Jaune and Yang. "You did that _on purpose!_ "

"I didn't! I _swear_ I didn't!"

" _Oscar_ ," Yang said, holding the two apart. "Calm _down_."

" _No!_ "

"Oz," Qrow said, leaning in, "Oz, look at me."

The eyes snapped to him again, and this time they held. His face was tight, and he was so _still,_ like the very thought of moving was agony. His eyes were almost gold in this light, and Qrow gave them all the intensity he could muster. "The nurse is coming," he said in slow, soft tones. "How bad is the break? You're gonna have to tell her."

Oz pursed his lips, shallow breaths through his nose, but he managed to rally. "I think it's the pins," he said, voice barely a whisper and there was so much pain in it Qrow couldn't understand how he was so quiet. He'd be cursing a blue streak a mile wide if the situations were reversed. "Where's Oscar?"

Qrow turned around. "Oscar," he called. "Your dad wants you." He looked up, was surprised to see four other adults, teachers, massed around them and pulling Yang, Oscar, and the skateboard kid apart. Two had walkie talkies and Oscar looked ready to commit murder, hazel eyes afire. Yang was trying to hold him back with one of the adults and the skateboard kid was backing up in terror, shouting "I'm sorry!"s left and right. Qrow growled, low in his throat, and got to his feet. Yang saw his approach and started to relax as he grabbed Oscar's arm. The boy tried to wrestle free but Qrow grabbed his other shoulder and leaned into the kid's face. " _Oscar_ ," he said again, "your dad wants you."

That burned through his ears, and it was like a switch flipped. His eyes doubling in size and his entire body freezing. Qrow let go, and he all but fell to his father's side. Yang immediately backed up, hands up in the air. One of the teachers looked to Qrow. "Which one of them is yours?" she asked.

"Yang," he said, jutting his chin. "Oscar over there's pretty obvious."

The woman nodded. "I'm the assistant principal. The nurse is on her way. We're going to need statements."

"Sure," Qrow said, nodding. "Saw it from our car. Skateboard Kid over there doesn't know how to ride a skateboard, ran into Professor Ozma," he jut his chin, "and his son was scared shi-witless. I came over with my nieces and told Ruby to get the nurse and Yang to keep the boys apart."

"And I'll lay money it was Cardin Winchester that put Jaune up to it," Yang added, glaring daggers. "He's been making Jaune do stuff all year - turning him into a real jerk." Her eyes flicked to Skateboard Kid. "You used to be okay," she said. "But now you're running over people! What's wrong with you!"

Skateboard Kid was nearly in tears, his face bright red and his breath hitched. His hoodie was half off him from Oscar's tug-o-war, and he was shaking like a leaf. "I'm sorry!" he said. "I'm sorry! I was trying to stop, I swear!"

"Uncle Qrow! I got the nurse!"

Everyone made room as a woman with glasses strode in, getting on her knees despite wearing winter leggings next to Oscar. The assistant principal held her walkie talkie up to her ears for a moment, and Qrow realized the buses were still there, everyone staring out the window, some heads outright peeking out to watch the show. Phones were out, cameras obviously pointed to the display, and Qrow wasn't much for social media but he knew this was going to be a firestorm. Teenage vultures, Qrow thought. "How about we take this inside away from prying eyes?" he asked just as the AP said, "Okay, show's over, let's get everyone inside and sorted."

The nurse stood, moving straight to the AP. "We're going to need an ambulance," she said; it was soft but Qrow was close enough to hear it and his eyes widened. He turned back to Oz and Oscar, but the professor was still holding himself very still, and Oscar was kneeling at his head, hand on his father's shoulder and saying something in his ear.

He looked to his nieces. "Go to the office," he said. "Right now."

"But Professor Ozpin-"

" _Now_ , girls," he said. "I'll be right behind you."

He turned and moved two steps back to Oz, kneeling down. "Oz," he said, "They're calling an ambulance. How bad is it?"

"It's bad," Oscar said for his father. "His leg never healed straight after the accident, even with the pins and he said he can feel one of the pins is loose."

_Fuck_ what a detail to hear. He looked to Oscar. "Is he gonna be okay? Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'm not leaving him," Oscar said fiercely.

Qrow backed off, hands up. "Okay. Call me if you need anything."

"Why?"

Qrow blinked, staring at the boy. His eyes were narrow, almost accusatory. What…?

"We will," Oz hissed, overriding his son.

"Dad…"

"We will."

"Okay," Qrow said, nodding. He straightened and left the nurse to do her work. He pulled at his scarf and walked up to the school. It was his first time in the building - he was usually at work for the night functions, and he looked around to see where he was supposed to go. Ruby, predictably, was waiting for him and motioned. He followed her and went to the main office. Skateboard Kid was behind the receptionist desk, sobbing into a phone.

"M-mom, I need you to pick me up. I d-did something b-bad."

Ruby gave the kid a soft look before going past the main desk and around a corner to a narrow hall. At the end was a conference room, and Qrow was introduced to the principal before Ruby disappeared saying she had to give her own statement. For the next hour he was texting Tai and explaining what he saw, what he knew about Oscar and Oz, what he'd told his nieces, and so on and so forth. Building security came in to say they had it all on camera, and Qrow knew the others were doing the same. He had to call work to explain he was going to be late - again - and he knew he would be paying for it later. It was a miracle they hadn't fired him yet.

Tai arrived looking ready to fall apart, demanding to know if his girls were okay, what was this about a fight, who went to the hospital, and so on. Qrow gave him the cliff's notes version of the story, Ruby and Yang happy to fill in the details. He hugged them fiercely, and as they filed out they saw Skateboard Kid talking to someone who was clearly some kind of sister or mother in a different conference room with the AP. Skateboard Kid looked half dead, staring off at nothing.

Qrow could admit - if only to Clover - satisfaction that the kid was suffering. He deserved it.

It was four o'clock by the time everything was over, and Qrow was ready for the day to be past done so he could get to the drudgery of his work. They were in the parking lot when his pocket buzzed, and he pulled out his phone. He frowned at the number, not recognizing it.

"Hello?"

" _Hello? Mr. Qrow?_ "

Qrow blinked. "Oscar?"

The rest of the family stopped, all eyes turning to Qrow, and he quickly put his phone on speaker.

"Oscar!"

"Oscar! Is your dad okay?"

" _Uhm… Shut up, I'm getting there… I'm supposed to tell you to come get me. Dad has to stay overnight, and he doesn't trust me to-Dad-_

" _This is Professor Ozpin,_ " Oz said, apparently having taken the phone. " _Please, I know you are angry with me, but I don't have anyone else to watch him overnight. Visiting hours are almost over and I can't-_ "

"He'll be there!" Ruby and Yang said in unison.

"Guys, I'm already going to be late for shift-"

"It's fine!" Ruby said brightly. "Another hour won't be so bad. You can pick up Oscar and bring him to our place, then you can go to work."

"We can set up the sleeping bag in Dad's room, and we'll make brunch for supper. He likes eggs and ham, right?"

Qrow blinked at the girls, having no idea where this even came from, but he turned back to his phone. "The bosses have spoken," he said, disgruntled.

" _Thank you, sincerely. You have no idea._ "

Qrow hung up and glared as he put his phone away. "Thanks for deciding my next few hours," he said flatly.

Yang gave a toothy grin. "It wasn't like you weren't going to do it anyway," she said. "We just sped things along."

Tai, damn him, was grinning too. "Enjoy the date," he said with a wink before he sobered. "Don't worry," he added. "We'll take care of him. It'll be fine."

* * *

That was how Qrow was parking his clunker at the hospital parking lot twenty minutes away and talking to a receptionist to explain why he was there. He was escorted to the fourth floor and past two nursing stations before stopping at a door. He went in; the first bed was cordoned off with a hanging sheet, but the second bed was open with a light on. Qrow moved in slowly, peeking his head around to see Oz and Oscar. The boy was curled on the side of the hospital bed, utterly asleep, head tucked under Oz's chin. For once the dark glasses were off, and without his usual three-piece Qrow could only stare at the network of scars that littered Oz's bare arm and - what the _fuck_ was that mess on his neck?

He finally blinked, catching himself just before Oz looked up and saw him. Without the glasses his face looked a lot softer, and he smiled.

Qrow stepped in quietly, eyes on the kid. "Busy day," he said softly, stopping at the edge of the bed. "How bad?"

Oz looked down, free hand stroking Oscar's hair. "One of the metal pins needs to be removed and replaced. The surgery to remove it will be tomorrow, then six weeks to heal the damage before they put in the new one. The fibula was always the weaker bone after the accident, and the skateboard somehow managed to hit the exact spot it was weakest and was rebroken. I'll be in a cast until summer."

Qrow winced. "How long will you be in here?"

"Just overnight," he answered, leaning his head back. The overhead light showed tightness in his face again, a sudden and intense furrowing of the brows before the pain passed and he relaxed again. "I go home after the surgery. My car is at the school, I'll have to call a ride…" His eyes widened and his head lifted back up, searching. "My things," he said. "Where are my things?"

Qrow looked around, saw a closet that he opened and found a bag of Oz's clothes. He pulled it out and gave it to Oz, who winced as he lifted his bad arm - Qrow never knew he had a bad arm, too, but those scars - and rummaged through the contents, pulling out his phone. He looked back up, placing the phone on his lap. "My cane…?"

Qrow looked back at the closet but saw nothing else. He shook his head.

Oz's head fell back to the pillow, and a pain that wasn't physical washed over him. "That was my grandfather's…" he said softly, still stroking Oscar's hair.

Qrow frowned, said, "It's probably still on the ground at the parking lot."

"With my wallet and keys," Oz said, sighing. "I suppose there's no help for it." His attention turned back to Qrow. "Thank you," he said softly. "You have no reason to do this, but you did anyway. Thank you."

Qrow shook his head. "I had every reason," he answered. "Look, you did something kinda shitty, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna hate you for life or something."

"Qrow," Oz said. "I deliberately went against your wishes. The reasoning doesn't matter, I broke the shared trust of parenthood, and that was something I swore to myself…" His eyes broke, even as the rest of him gave nothing away, and Qrow wondered just how much this guy was holding in. He let out a ragged breath and closed his eyes, and in that moment he looked exactly like he did when he confessed what he'd done to Qrow - he hadn't recognized it then, too shocked to realize what Oz had done, but now, in a different context, a different light, he recognized the emotion as something he wore a lot: guilt. Something plucked in Qrow's heart, and then tripled in size when Oz said, "I did something _she_ would have done."

"Don't," Qrow said, shaking his head. "Don't put that on yourself."

"But-"

" _Oz_ ," Qrow said. "If I held you to that then you'd have to hold me to all the mess-ups in my life - and that includes everything before rehab. If you can still stomach me then I figure I can still stomach you."

… And he meant it. Something deep in him marveled at the truth of the words, like he realized it as he said it, and his shoulders relaxed.

Oz was staring at him, wide eyed, and he blinked several times before he could school his expression. He looked down, sweep of white hair hiding his eyes, and Qrow maybe wanted to tuck the hair away and see the eyes some more. The tiny, grateful, "... thank you…" melted something dark inside him, and he knew he had to wrap this up quick before he did something stupid.

He jutted his chin to the boy. "How do we wake him?" he asked.

Oz leaned in and kissed the top of his son's head, his hand finally moving from hair to shoulder, and gave a gentle shake. "Oscar, it's time."

The boy stirred slowly, looking up and seeing his father's face. They touched foreheads, briefly, before Oscar reluctantly got up. He had his father's shuffle, something that made Qrow double take, but he guided the boy out and nodded his goodbyes to Oz and his scars. Oscar didn't speak, just stared out the window as Qrow drove him to Tai's place. Once he was settled, Qrow got back in his car and thought long and hard before turning on the ignition.

Back at the school he used up the last of his phone's battery to act as a flashlight, and he found the cane and the keys.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss and Yang gathered at the front doors, Blake joining them, and waited for Oscar. She saw Jaune exit the building, eyes down on the ground and avoiding everyone in sight. He hadn't been in school for a week, and no one said why, but instead of taking a bus she watched him climb into a car. One of his sisters, then? "Do you think he's okay?" she asked Yang.

"Well, he's not with Cardin, so I figure he's doing way better," Yang said, eyes flat. "Hopefully he's learned something."

"I've never seen him so upset," Ruby said.

Weiss was busy smiling; she had been for both last periods. Finally she took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. "Hello, this is Weiss Schnee, I was wondering if you could let me know when Father was coming home? I baked something in home ec and I wanted him to try it. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Thank you very much!" She hung up and heaved another sigh, but she looked to the others. "I have two hours," she said. "But now I have to bake something."

"Too bad the Professor can't drive," Blake said. "He'd make the excuse easy."

"Uncle Qrow is doing a double shift, so we'll have to take the bus."

"Then why not come to my place?" Blake offered. "My boyfriend is away with his family, so I have time."

"Wow, a miracle!" Yang said.

Ruby nodded. "Do you think Oscar will want to come?"

"Hey guys."

"Oscar, want to come to Blake's house?"

He shook his head. "I just wanted to say I'm taking the bus and will be for a while. Dad's physical therapy gets out around now and he should just be getting home as the bus does. He'll be really sore and I want to help out."

"I understand," Blake said, nodding. "Next time."

"Sure, see you tomorrow!"

The four girls piled onto Blake's bus, taking seats in the front and hunkering down for the drive. It was too loud for Ruby to really talk, and Weiss was leaning back with her eyes closed. Another headache, maybe? She was still bothered by being considered a criminal by Weiss' father, but after Ruby had told Dad about Weiss' fears she was able to open up a little bit about what her father said. She explained about his moods and what a bad day was like. Across the aisle Yang was talking animatedly with Blake - she looked a lot better than she had been.

After fifteen minutes Blake got up, a sign for the others to do the same. The house was large, two stories - bigger than even Professor Ozpin's - and Ruby thought having two stories was a sign you were rich. Yang whistled and Weiss gave a curious look, as if she wondered what was so impressive.

Blake unlocked the back door and took her shoes off, the others following suit and led them into the kitchen. She frowned at the fridge, seeing a piece of paper pinned there with a magnet. "Oh," she said. "Mom and Dad are at a protest. It says they're going to be late and they'll call if they get arrested."

"... Arrested?" Weiss asked, suddenly tense.

Blake shifted her weight, taking a deep breath and turning to Weiss. "There's been talk of bringing in the police," she said. "They want the protests to be peaceful, but people are getting very angry. Mom and Dad are trying to keep them level headed, but they say in these kinds of protests it's only a matter of time. The minute this hit the news it was a waiting game," she said.

"Then… my father might get home early," she said, suddenly very worried.

"We don't know that," Ruby said quickly, wanting to assure her friend. "He could actually be late, or he could be normal. We don't know what Blake's parents are protesting, and-"

"Yes we do," Blake said, putting the note back and pulling her backpack off. "It's all they talk about when they get home."

"Do they… do they know about me?" Weiss asked, standing unnaturally straight.

"Yes," Blake said, putting her backpack on the kitchen table. "But don't worry, they told me not to judge you for your father's actions. And I didn't tell them what you told us. They'd like to meet you, but they know that right now it would be awkward."

"I… I see," Weiss said. "Thank you, for your consideration."

"Okay," Yang said, rubbing her hands together. "What are we baking to fool Weiss' dad?"

"We're not as well stocked as the professor," Blake said, "but we can probably make cookies. Well, if you don't mind substituting eggs with something."

"Really? Why?"

"We're pescatarians. The only meat we eat is fish. Meat processing accounts for a lot of methane released into the air and we decided it would be better for the environment if we all went vegan." Then she blushed. "But I didn't want to give up fish."

"Principled in everything, I see," Yang said brightly. "So what's a substitute for egg?"

"We use applesauce, usually."

"And it makes for a great 'lesson' for school," Ruby said brightly. "It's perfect."

They piled their packs on the kitchen table and lined up along the kitchen counters - there were miles of them in Blake's house - and started measuring sugar, vegan butter, flour, applesauce, vanilla, salt, baking soda, organic chocolate chips, and talking about their classes as they went, sharing their days. Once the cookies were in the oven they started moving their backpacks upstairs to Blake's room - it must have been fifty percent bigger than her and Yang's room - unpacking books and notebooks and getting ready for homework. Blake disappeared when they heard the timer and Weiss followed to "plate it appropriately."

Ruby realized they were alone, and she looked to her sister. "You seem better," she said softly.

Yang turned to look at her. "I don't know about better…" she said, trailing off.

"Well, you've been smiling more since last month, you seem happier."

"I guess so," Yang said, looking down. "It was a lot to take in, you know? Everything Mom did. I guess I didn't really believe she was in jail - even when we were kids. I had all these ideas built up in my head about what happened, about why she would be there. Everything Dad and Uncle Qrow said… I couldn't believe it, because it was my _Mom_ , you know?"

Ruby nodded, looking down. "Do you believe it now?" she asked.

"... Yeah," Yang said, curling her knees up. "I think I do. Talking to her helped. So did Professor Ozpin." She looked up again. "It never even occurred to me that she never wrote letters until he mentioned it, and when I realized that… it was like everything fell into place. But it was still a lot, you know?"

Ruby nodded. "It… was a lot for me, too," she admitted. Yang bursting into their room to tell her what Raven did, yelling and cursing, Ruby still just trying to understand. The thought would strike her at weird times, when someone brought up their mom she would think about Raven instead of her own mom, would wonder what Yang was feeling, and she really, really, wondered what it was like for Dad and Uncle Qrow. She was hurt, for a while, her heart felt really tight, and she wasn't sure if that was normal or not.

"Hey," her sister said, and Ruby looked up. "I'm sorry."

… "For what?"

"For… dragging you along, I guess," Yang said. "It might have been right for me to know all the gory details, but I didn't even ask if you wanted to know. I just dumped it on you, and if it hurt you… I'm sorry."

Ruby smiled. "I just wanted to be there for you."

"I know… But I didn't think things through, and I know you got hurt sometimes, so: I'm sorry."

"Well, then I forgive you."

They smiled at each other and went back to their notebooks, getting themselves set up.

Each girl was in charge of one subject: Ruby, Math; Yang, Science; Weiss, English; Blake, Social Studies. They each did their homework and then helped the others with theirs, sometimes in pairs or sometimes as a group depending on the assignment. Blake's room was big enough that all four of them could spread out on the floor, textbooks and notebooks, on a circular rug. Weiss came up with a napkin wrapping around the purported cookies, and Blake had the rest on a plate. They weren't as good without the Professor's touch, but cookies were cookies, and Ruby had three before she even grabbed her pencil. Everyone settled into their work, and Ruby quietly enjoyed the sounds of concentration and hard work.

Blake got up briefly to pull out a bluetooth speaker and played on her phone before hitting play, and soft music filtered through the room. That lasted all of five seconds before she got a text and rolled her eyes, putting her textbook down and focusing on her phone.

"Boyfriend?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," she said. "He's with his parents for the weekend, and he hates them. He needs a lot of support."

"Sounds clingy to me," Yang said. "He takes up way too much of your time."

"It's fine," she said, though she wasn't smiling. "He always makes it up to me. That reminds me, I wanted to show you." She got up and navigated the books and notebooks, going to a nightstand by her bed and opening up a drawer, pulling out a box and opening it. "Look," she said, pulling out a necklace and matching bracelet.

"Wow," Ruby said, seeing the glitter. The chain was gold on both of them, and hanging a matching pair of some kind of - Ruby didn't know the terminology. Black pearl maybe, but it was shiny like something brighter, like a diamond or something. It was set in some kind of white ring of something that expanded into soft leaves that were gold like the chain. "It's really pretty."

"It's also real," Weiss said, frowning heavily. "What was your boyfriend's name again?"

"Adam," Blake said, her face soft. "Adam Taurus."

Weiss was frowning, eyes far away. Ruby knew that look, and she leaned to one side to get a better look. "What is it?" she said.

"Nothing," Weiss said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Just… I don't remember the family name Taurus as being to any of my father's parties. But then Father has very particular tastes so it's probably nothing. Do you know what his family does to come from that kind of money?"

"Something about trafficking valuable commodities," she said. "He hates his parents, so he gets mad whenever they're brought up."

"That's sad," Ruby said. "Do we need to bring him in the way we brought in Weiss?"

"No," Blake said, "He would say it was childish, and he hates kids."

"He hates his parents _and_ he hates kids? How does he function?"

"He's very kind," Blake said, "and he works very hard. He says when he's old enough he's going to take the business in a new direction."

"At least he has good taste," Weiss said, going back to her seat. "Let's get our homework done before I have to leave for Father."

"You're not really going to give him the cookies, are you?" Ruby asked.

"I have to have proof of what I said in case the secretary mentioned it to Father," Weiss said.

"You could say you ate them."

Weiss shook her head. "That wouldn't end well. And besides, if I'm giving him gifts he might relax and let me stay with friends again."

"But your friends are _us_ ," Yang said. "The half criminals and the activist."

Weiss didn't have an answer, looking down and hunching forward.

"It's okay, Weiss," Ruby said, reaching out and touching a shoulder. "We'll figure something out."

She smiled, and they got to work.

It was quite a while later when they heard a door open downstairs.

"Blake! We're back! Honey, are you home?"

Ruby watched her friend start to get up. "We're upstairs!" she said, hopping over Ruby to get to the door. "We're doing homework! How'd it go? You're not arrested, so…"

"Blake! There you are, give Mom a hug! Oh, it's good to be home, they were threatening to use tear gas on us and your father had to do a lot of fast talking."

"Tear gas?"

Ruby shared a look with Yang and Weiss, and they all nodded, as one moving to the door to better listen.

"Schnee was threatening it, the bastard. If he bothered to meet with us so we could talk to him this would all be over so much sooner, but he's so focused on money, profits - I don't think he cares a wit about human lives at all!" said a booming voice. "His safety regulations are so far below standard he should be embarrassed - if he thinks things are bad when one employee dies in an accident, imagine when one of his buildings catches fire and the country learns he hasn't passed fire inspections in years!"

"Honey, that's still just rumor, once we get him to agree to an inspection-Oh! We have guests!"

Blake came upstairs as two heads crested the stairwell. Her father was a giant hairy beast of a man, jeans and a jean jacket with a bandana tied around his neck that looked like it could pass for a mask, it was tented so high on his neck. Her mother was closer to Blake's height - clearly where she got her hair, and had large earrings dangling almost to her shoulders, in dark slacks and shades she was pulling up to her thick mass of hair.

"They look like modern hippies," Yang observed.

"Yang!"

"Sorry!'

The father laughed, pulling off his jacket to reveal a thick, muscled body. "We've been called much worse," he said brightly, "so don't worry. Blake, introduce us, these must be the friends you always talk so highly of. What can we get you? We have apple juice, tea, milk, water."

"We made cookies," Blake said, finally stopping at her door. She threw a nervous glance at her friends and forced a smile. "Mom, Dad, these are my friends: Yang Xiao Long and her sister Ruby Rose, and this is-"

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss said, Ruby freezing to see her friend admit that right after the stuff Blake's father said. She curtseyed formally, bowing her head, and then stood straight. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Blake was absolutely frozen, back stiff as a board, and Ruby couldn't decide who to look at - Weiss, Blake, or her parents - and she was afraid her head would bend the wrong way for all her movement. Blake's parents both blinked, but to Ruby's surprise that was their only reaction, her mom smiling and doing a perfect curtsey in response while her dad put out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Schnee," he said gently. "I'm very sorry you heard me speak ill of your father. That must have been difficult."

Ruby was ready to step in front of Weiss in defense, but now she wasn't sure what to do - she wasn't expecting Mr. Belladonna to be so nice.

Weiss, however, already seemed to have everything in hand. She took Mr. Belladonna's hand and shook it firmly, nodding her head. "My father… he hasn't practiced the same restraint," she said carefully.

Mr. Belladonna laughed. "I imagine not," he said softly. "But we won't talk politics with you, you're our guest. How long will you be staying?"

Weiss looked at her watch. "Technically I have another half hour before I have to leave," she said, frowning. "But if there was a protest…" She looked up. "I think I should go home now," she said.

"Wait," Ruby said, "Are you sure? He might not be home early, you can stay a little long-"

"I can't risk it," Weiss said softly, but she was smiling. "Thanks, though, for saying that. I'll get my things."

She disappeared into Blake's room, and Blake gave her parents a firm look. "Can we talk?" she asked in a low voice. " _Downstairs_?"

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other as the Belladonna family went downstairs. They moved back to Blake's room to help Weiss; Ruby grabbed her coat and held it up for Weiss to slip into, Yang zipping up the backpack and shucking it to her shoulder as Weiss buttoned up and pulled out her scarf. "I'm sorry about this," she said softly.

"No, it's okay, you can't help your dad being a jerk," Ruby said quickly. "And you're nothing like him, so it's not a problem."

"I know," she said, taking her bag from Yang. "It's just…"

"Don't worry," Yang said.

The three moved downstairs, and tried really hard not to listen to Blake and her parents.

"You _embarrassed_ me in front of my _friends_."

"Blake, we were perfectly cordial, I don't understand why you're so upset."

"You have _no idea_ what she's going through and your just dropped her dad into the conversation-"

"Honey, your father apologized for it, what more do you-"

" _This_ is why I don't bring friends over, because all you want to do is talk politics and never think about who it hurts!"

" _Blake_ , I just said we weren't going to talk polit-"

" _I'm leaving._ "

"Stop right there young lady!"

"You're not my boss, I'm thirteen and I can do what I want!"

Blake stormed past Ruby and Weiss, shouldering Yang in the process and running upstairs. Ruby looked at the others, unsure what to do. Ruby made a face, but went to the kitchen where the fight was. "Uhm," she said, "It was really nice to meet you…?"

Blake's parents smiled, and Ruby and the others left, but walked very slowly down the driveway. As expected, there was a door slam that made them turn around, and Blake stomped over to them, phone out and typing furiously. "I'm coming over," she said. "I can't stand them right now." She looked up. "I'm really sorry," she said. "They shouldn't have brought up your father like that."

"Blake, it really is fine."

"No, it's not. It's just like Adam says," she countered. "Adults only want to make things hard for their kids. Your father does, my parents do. Even Mr. Qrow and Mr. Xiao Long kept things from Yang even though they shouldn't have. The only one who's nice is Professor Oz, but I'm sure if we asked Oscar we'd find out there was something he did. It's not fair, it's not right."

"Well… you can have dinner with us, I guess," Ruby said. "Dad's making pizza when he gets home from work. He made the dough last night."

"Fine. Whatever," Blake said, staring at her phone.

Yang took the lead to the bus stop, pulling Blake with her and putting space between her and Weiss. Ruby held back, walking side by side with Weiss.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah..." Weiss said slowly. "I just… I feel like this year I'm learning that what my father does outside the house is actually worse than what he does inside."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ruby said, tracing her chin with a finger. "I mean, he doesn't really _know_ people outside. I remember when I was first promoted to Yang's grade - they were so much older and I didn't know they didn't like someone younger than them being smarter than them. I hurt a lot of feelings and I didn't know it. But it hurt the most when I hurt Yang with some of the stuff I said. If your dad hurts people outside, then he might not know it - but him hurting you, well, I think that's way worse."

"I… I never thought about it like that," Weiss said. "I think that makes it worse."

"Oh! No, I wasn't trying to make it worse! I just meant that-you see I was trying to say-oh, I'm really bad at this…!"

Weiss laughed softly, and Ruby was still flustered but she thought maybe that was better than her moping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and we finally start to spin Blake's plate. We don't get her POV for quite a while, because if we did we'd give the game away. BUT we can see a little of what's going on. It takes us an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out how to make Ghira and Kali work in our story, so it will be a while before they start to become regulars, but for now they're stressors for both Blake and Weiss' stories, however unintentionally.
> 
> But honestly, as much as we love the girls, this chapter is about Oz and Qrow. When Qrow is in a mood he is in a MOOD, he had a lot to work through and March is a hard month for him and his family which drags everything down and makes it worse. He has a right to be mad at what Oz did, but like he says he's not going to damn Oz for life - which in turn is something that's never happened to Oz, since he's ALWAYS been damned for things he did wrong.
> 
> We also see the first hints that Qrow really does have it kinda bad for Oz, but he shoves it away before he explores it too much.
> 
> And for anyone keeping score of the Year-of-Hell that Turned Oz's Hair White, we have a second item on the list after Being Married to Salem (sub-categories to follow), there was an Accident. We also get to nod to an idea we've had for a while. It's fanon (we think it's fanon...?) that Oscar has all those wrappings around his neck in the show to hide scars. Well, we thought, if he's an incarnation of Oz, then doesn't that mean that Oz and his ludicrously thick turtleneck also hides scars...? And then we took that idea and made it a plot point. Also a character trait for Oz: he holds in an unhealthy amount of pain - he broke his leg and didn't even so much a squeak. Unfortunately that's a trait from the two of us, we learned pretty fast growing up to not make a big deal out of cuts and scrapes, not to make a fuss over, er, some of the things that were said to us; so it made sense to us that Oz, having been married to Salem, would have a similar trait.
> 
> We also get to play with the idea that Oz, not being reincarnated in this fic, instead has the sense of age by having a lot of heirlooms, such as a cane that's probably 80 years old and so on. More on that later.
> 
> Also metal pins. Just... we shudder to think...
> 
> Next chapter: We finally switch to OzQrow fluff, and have a Memorial Day cookout.


	9. Chapter 9

Ozpin sat under a tree in his small backyard enjoying the warming weather. It was still cool enough that no one questioned his turtleneck, but it was warm enough to want to be outside the house. He wasn't reading, like he wanted to, of course. He was on the phone with the dean.

" _So you won't be teaching summer courses this year?_ "

"No," Ozpin replied, shifting slightly to stretch his bad leg. "Walking around campus on crutches is proving difficult as it is."

" _We could make sure the classes are near your department. The students love you._ "

"Nevertheless, I need more time to heal. And a summer of not running across campus sounds ideal."

" _Of course, that is understandable. Enjoy your Spring Break_."

Ozpin couldn't help but glance to the book by his side. "I intend to."

" _See you next week_."

"Goodbye."

He hung up and let out a contended sigh. Such moments of peace were often rare in an average person's busy life of running hither and yon. Ozpin had come to enjoy such quiet moments of contemplation and tranquility. Where other professors might plan lavish vacations during their time off, or go into the private sector to earn more money, over the years he had come to enjoy simply being home with Oscar. Before, when he was still with Salem, he had stayed home out of necessity. It was expected. They wouldn't go on outings or trips or anything. And while Ozpin had happy memories of crawling across the floor with Oscar before he could walk, or spending a day baking with Oscar and occasionally Salem, those weren't times he looked forward to as he did now.

Oscar came out as Ozpin was adjusting again to place his bad leg up on the bench.

"Hey, Dad."

Ozpin smiled. Oscar had brought out a tray with hot chocolate.

"You will spoil me, young man."

Oscar gave his usual, gentle smile. "How's the leg?"

"Better every day," he replied. He deliberately rotated his ankle beyond the cast. "No pain today, so you can stop fretting for now."

"Tsch." Still, Oscar was smiling as he set the tray down on the small patio table and sat down in a fabric lawn chair he had pulled out earlier. "You never say when you're hurting."

Ozpin offered a sad smile. Once upon a time, it has been inadvisable to show hurt. But he didn't want to bring it up. "With you being so perceptive I don't need to."

Oscar offered a smile that saw right through that.

"Hello!" came a call from the front of the house.

Oscar immediately soured, and Ozpin offered a questioning look as he responded. "We're out back!"

Qrow came around the house and Ozpin allowed himself a smile.

"Hey, Oz," he greeted. "How's the leg holding up?"

"Quite well," Oz replied. "As I was telling Oscar, no pain."

Oscar just scowled back and forth. Ozpin held in a sigh. His son clearly hadn't forgiven Qrow for being angry at him (justifiably) for disrespecting his and Tai's wishes regarding Yang. No amount of Ozpin explaining it had helped Oscar understand, so Oz had just accepted it. Best to avoid any sort of engagement. "Oscar? Do you want to get another mug for Qrow?"

"No," Oscar said shortly, before getting up. "But I will. I have homework to finish this weekend anyway."

Ozpin didn't call out the blatant lie. Instead, he turned to Qrow. "Please, have a seat. Pardon me for not getting up."

"I'd shove you back down if you did," Qrow replied. Then winced. "That sounded better in my head."

He couldn't quite hold back a soft chuckle. "I hadn't thought anything sexual about that. Thank you, for putting that into my head."

Qrow sat in the foldable lawn chair that Oscar had vacated, blushing lightly. "I haven't been that tongue-tied since Clover," he laughed. "God, that's been what, six years?"

"Yes, you've mentioned your sponsor," Ozpin let that hang. He had to admit, he was curious. But now that Qrow was talking to him again and had accepted his mistakes (and what a miracle _that_ was…) he didn't want to push. He'd pushed too far with almost everything in regards to Qrow's sister, so he didn't dare step out of the very clear confines that had been set before everything had gone bad.

"Hmph, yeah," Qrow gave a soft laugh. "One of my biggest bisexual disasters."

Oscar came out with the mug, bypassed Qrow entirely and ignored him, to put the mug on the patio table, before turning and marching back into the house.

Qrow offered a low whistle. "Now that's a stonewall. He could give lessons."

"Oh, that was him being subtle," Ozpin offered lightly.

A barked laugh. "Then what's not subtle?"

"What poor Mr. Arc received," Ozpin said sadly, feeling a twinge along his leg and the new pin. "Now that he can express himself, he will. But it will go to extremes."

"Oh, I know how that goes," Qrow snorted. "Geez, bringing up Clover and then seeing _that_ takes me back."

"The disaster?" Oz raised a brow as he sipped his chocolate.

" _Bisexual_ disaster." Qrow gave a lopsided grin. "This story requires knowing both the bisexual and the disaster."

Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Oh yeah," Qrow chuckled. "See, this was back when I was getting on and off the wagon. I was managing sober for maybe two weeks before I was getting drunk. Clover, you have to understand, is hot. Same height as me, bright green eyes, redhead, and _curves_. Trim waist but big, strong arms. He's everything I notice in a guy. Hell, l notice curves on both guys _and_ girls."

Ozpin stilled, but let that wash over him, shaking his head minutely.

"Add on to that that he was giving me a lot of attention," Qrow continued. "And not the negative kind. He's supportive, attentive, listens and remembers, and if you ever hear him talk, it's all innuendo and flirting."

"I believe I see where this might be going," Ozpin said neutrally, offering raised brow.

"Of course," Qrow said with a bright smile. "I'm making my side obvious. So I finally had a stint of sober where I was starting to notice Clover beyond the 'he's-taking-my-drink-away' kind of way. I'll very ardently and shamefully admit that I was falling for him."

Ozpin took a sip of his chocolate, ignoring the feelings roiling inside of him with a practiced ease. "And yet, you prefaced all of this with the word 'disaster'."

"Yep. So there I was, sober but still not a functional adult. Just one bad day away from diving back into a bottle and not realizing that that feeling is a permanent feature."

Ozpin did raise both brows at that and filed it away. He knew about alcoholism and recovery in an abstract sense, but it was different to hear it from one who was living it. To always know one bad day would have the alcohol back? Ozpin would just have to make sure Qrow always had a distraction. Bad days were unavoidable. Ozpin had learned that the hard way.

"And because I wasn't a functioning adult and I sort of _was_ making an effort to not be plastered all the time, I was sleeping around. Anything was better than diving back into a bottle. Let me tell you, a tumble with a good fuck is a great distraction, but the problems are still there in the morning."

He nodded solemnly, remembering the nights he'd please Salem in an effort to help her feel better, but then she'd still be dour the next day. The few hours of respite would always evaporate in the morning. By the end, he didn't even try, hadn't for years, and she hadn't tried either. "Yes. Problems won't go away unless they are dealt with."

"Wise words, Prof," Qrow gave his usual rakish grin.

Ozpin smiled back.

"Anyway, like I said, I was finally waking up to things. I wanted a good fuck, yeah, but random hook ups weren't doing it anymore, because they didn't really _mean_ anything. Looking for someone was going to be a nightmare because I knew I was a mess and didn't even have my life back together yet. I'd only just got my job because of Clover and I was still waiting to get fired at any moment. But Clover was there, he was hot, and he seemed interested. It seemed like a win-win. I start falling with someone who's giving a damn about me outside of family, and he'd make sure I stayed sober."

"You do realize that partners in relationships aren't there to fix you, correct?"

Qrow ran a hand through his graying hair. "Yeah, _now_ I do. Remember, this is a disaster story."

"Indeed."

"Now bear in mind, our banter, when I was sober, was always kinda flirty, once my head was on straight. So I started flirting more. And Clover, he flirted right back with a twinkle in his damn clover-green eyes."

Ozpin tried to picture it. The Qrow he knew was open and charming and honest, but he never seemed flirty. Oh, he'd slip in what he said, sometimes made double entendres, but that was never on purpose, always followed with a quick apology. Unfortunately no image came to mind. Really, what was Qrow like when he was flirting?

"So I start thinking Clover's as into me as I am into him." Qrow offered a self-deprecating look. "After all, who the hell would be into the drunken mess that I was once they knew me?"

"Qrow…"

"So after hitting on him for a while, I pulled Clover in tight and kissed him." Qrow gave a lopsided grin, wiggling his eyebrows. "We had been flirting about sausage lengths and the like and I took that as an invitation. Full tongue, working to get my hands onto said sausage and everything."

Ohhh, he must be so red right now.

"I would assume," he said as calmly as possible and ignore how flushed he must be, "that Mr. Ebi did not wish for your… advances."

"I believe his exact words were, 'My sausage is too hot for you to handle'."

"Ahhh..." Oz winced.

"Yeah, not the clearest refusal. He wasn't expecting that and he was hardly his usual self with me all over him. Did a damn good job of making me hard as a rock."

Ozpin hid behind his mug, hoping against all hopes that his face wasn't as red as he knew it likely was. He coughed politely.

"Ahhh, shit," Qrow looked abashed. "Sorry, Oz, that was probably too much detail."

"That would be one way of putting it." Ozpin never was overly interested in such carnalities. "Still, I remind you that I teach hormonal young people who are finally out from under their parents wings. They talk sex frequently with little regard for what anyone might overhear."

"In other words, your ears aren't overly virgin?" Qrow offered with a wry grin.

"Quite."

Qrow laughed. "Not much else to say. Clover pushed me off, dragged me to my room and I started getting more ideas, then he dumped me in the shower and hit the ice water."

"I'm certain that got your attention," Ozpin offered lightly.

"And gave me a seriously bad case of blue balls."

Ozpin allowed himself a snorting laugh.

Qrow chuckled himself, even though he was clearly embarrassed by the whole thing.

He was embarrassed and he still shared it. Qrow truly was an amazing man.

"After all _that_ , Clover sat me down and explained in clear non-flirting terms that as my sponsor he didn't feel it was particularly ethical to also be a lover. He was there to support, not fuck. I fell off the wagon again."

"Surely your family helped as well."

Qrow's smile was soft and gentle. "Of course they did, the girls held a freaking _intervention_ after that. But they were used to seeing me drunk more than sober. I was pulling myself together for them and I always will, but there comes a point that you also have to do something for yourself. Getting shot down in an ice bath was my wake up to not just pulling my stitches together enough to be there for them, I also had to stitch myself back together for _me_. I didn't really care about me at that point, but between the Clover disaster and the intervention..."

"You value yourself more."

Qrow nodded. "I'll fall apart at a moment's notice, but I'll always stitch myself back up."

Something deep in Ozpin's heart shifted as that one line seemed to pierce through him.

_I fall apart, but I pull myself back up_.

Ozpin closed his eyes and dipped his head. Because that struck a chord in him. A very familiar, very close chord.

_I will always get back up, Oscar._ Even when he couldn't.

"Oz? Is this a point I need to apologize for my foot-in-mouth disease?"

"No," Ozpin said roughly. He coughed to clear his throat. "No, ah… I just…" He pushed up his shades to hide. "We are more alike than I had initially thought."

They sat in silence for a moment. It was an easy silence, and Ozpin enjoyed the quiet without the need to say anything, nor the need to avoid saying anything.

Qrow had been honest and forthcoming since they had first met months ago, and Ozpin wasn't sure if he had truly done the same. True, Qrow knew of Salem, but only in the most broad sense. He didn't know the details. The nuances. The stories. He knew she existed and that the police needed to be called in for him to leave with Oscar. That it took a year for his hair to go white.

That left a great deal unknown.

Qrow had once said that he wanted to be there for Ozpin as others had been there for him. No doubt back when Raven had been arrested, or later when Tai's wife Summer took ill. By then Qrow had a supportive network of his brother-in-law, nieces, sponsor, likely quite a few friends.

Ozpin owed Qrow something. Qrow would deny it, of course, but Ozpin still felt he owed something. Something to their friendship. Something to the man who upended his own life to spend the night, the man who went to lengths to protect his nieces, including ensuring his own sister was in jail.

To the man who was probably the best and only friend Ozpin had ever had.

"It was four years ago," he said, staring at his almost empty mug of chocolate. "I worked at Berkley, but I was giving a lecture at UCLA. I had finished but still had about four hours before I needed to get to the airport for my flight."

"Hn," Qrow offered in Ozpin's pause. "You know, living in New England, we're used to driving everywhere. Only takes an hour or two to cross to another state, if that."

"And yet, to go from Buffalo to New York is a flight," Ozpin offered lightly.

"New York isn't in New England, technically," Qrow said cheekily. "It's just lumped in with us."

He smiled. "I'll have to remember that." Oz looked down, various images starting to flit around his mind. "I had decided to go to the Getty Museum. I rented a bicycle and made my way into the hills. It was a gorgeous day. Cool, ascending above the Los Angeles smog to a crystal blue sky… And that was perhaps my mistake."

Ozpin looked up to the tree above him, to the clear blue spring sky above the buds. "I had stopped to view the beauty around me." He looked to Qrow, slipping easily into his teacher mode. "Hills are a fascinating geographical phenomenon with peculiar effects on such sciences as the doppler effect. The sounds of sirens echo off of various hills and valleys, distorting and making judging distance or direction difficult."

"I think I can guess where this was going," Qrow said sadly.

"Sadly, my story is predictable," Ozpin nodded. "I knew that segments of Los Angeles had a seedy criminal underbelly, but I wasn't exactly going down darkened alleys. I'd been to UCLA before on speaking engagements and have never had any trouble. I'd even biked up to the hills before without any issue. But a car crested the hill, barreled into the car in front of it, and both careened into me."

" _Shit_ , Oz."

He shrugged. "I survived. The bystander in the car died. So did the criminal. We all went over the side of the road and down the hill. I lacked the weight and momentum to keep tumbling down the hillside, so I'm told. I only remember seeing those two cars come over the hill and then waking up in the hospital." Ozpin pulled up the sleeves of his turtleneck to look at the scars. "Obviously I was hit predominantly in the legs. It would seem I was able to protect my head on the way down, and it apparently took only two hours to rescue me and get me to the hospital."

"Two _hours_?"

Ozpin shrugged. "So I'm told. That was the start of the worst year of my life. They kept me unconscious while they tried to sort out the damages to my leg, arm, and ribs, to say nothing of my hip. The most obvious to anyone who sees me is that my leg never healed correctly. The arm is weaker, but no one ever sees that. And of course, the scars."

Qrow reached out and put a hand on Ozpin's knee.

Ozpin didn't say anything. He didn't care for touch from the majority of people. Touch was either painful or thoughtless, either Salem or someone brushing by him without meaning to. Oscar was the only one who gave gentle touches to Oz, and it always brought him a smile. But Qrow touching his knee was neither painful or thoughtless. Ozpin didn't know how to feel, other than perplexed that he didn't feel anything.

"There were many things that were ghastly during that year. But looking back, I think the worst part was that it took two weeks to finally see Oscar."

"Wait, _what_?"

"My phone was gone after the crash, and I had to stay in Los Angeles to recover enough just to be flown back to Berkley."

"They couldn't come to you?"

Ozpin hesitated. Then let out a sigh. "My wife did not think it possible."

Qrow's look was flat, then went angry, _furious_ , and he took a deep controlling breath. "If you haven't already left the bitch, I think I might go slug her."

An unexpected laugh burst out of him and he couldn't quite stop. Ozpin tried to control the giggles, but they just kept spilling out.

Qrow was smiling, clearly confused on why Ozpin couldn't control the mirth, but he wasn't sure how to explain that surprised delight that such a single line of support had swept through him. It was like a broken damn and feelings were just rushing out and Oz just couldn't stop giggling.

"I can't wait to see you when I _actually_ try to be funny."

Oz was finally starting to control himself, still smiling from ear to ear. "I apologize-"

"Don't ever apologize for laughing-"

"-but I don't think anyone has ever been that direct in their support."

Qrow chuckled. "You've been hanging out with the wrong people, Oz."

He looked into wine-colored eyes. "Perhaps I have."

* * *

Qrow looked at the clock when he finally got off his double shift - 11 a.m. - and knew the time it took to go home, wash up, eat, and go to bed he'd only have about an hour before it was time to wake up and pick up his nieces. At that point he threw his hands up in defeat and decided to skip sleep all together, he had Memorial Day weekend to catch up, and if he just drove to the middle school now, the weather was warm enough that he could sleep on the car. So instead, he stopped off at a diner for breakfast, skipped coffee in lieu of his upcoming nap, showered and changed at home and then drove to the school. He took his usual spot, stretched out on the hood of his car, and settled in, secure in the knowledge that Oz would wake him up before the bell.

He shimmied a little bit to get comfortable, arched his back onto the windshield, lifted an arm up to be a pillow, and just relaxed. The sun was warm, the pollen smelled nice, and there was a bird somewhere tweeting and making him smile. He drifted in a warm haze, quiet and content, and he could float there forever….

"There are laws against loitering, you know."

Qrow ignored the interruption, refusing to lift himself out of the soft haze of rest, deliberately undoing his focus, he wanted to _drift,_ thank you, and he wasn't going to let a voice that wasn't Oz's interrupted him.

"Hey. Are you drunk?"

And then a poke.

Any thought of sleep was yanked away with the poke, and Qrow groaned, now irritated. "Shut up," he muttered, "I'm trying to sleep."

"You're in a school parking lot. They're not going to let you sleep it off here. There are laws against loitering and you don't want children to see a drunk."

Thoroughly awake now, Qrow bothered to sit up and started rubbing at his eyes. "Lady," he said to the alto voice next to him. "I am _not_ drunk. I am _not_ loitering. I wait here like this every day. Ask anybody."

"Look," the alto said, also sounding irritated. "I'm trying to help you. There are laws-"

"Against loitering, I know. I heard you the first time. Look, get over yourself. If you haven't seen me here everyday waiting for the girls then it's on you for making assumptions. Just go pick up whoever you're here for and leave me alone."

"I'm not going to let my sister see a drunk sleeping on the hood of his car."

Qrow finished rubbing his eyes and turned to glare at the woman. Her eyes were blue and cold, white blond hair pulled up into a bun and a sharp business suit. Qrow felt sorry for whoever the sister was. "Lady," he said, "You're starting to get on my nerves with all these assumptions you're making. If you want to make a case then by all means, smell my breath. Except I don't care what you think, so _buzz off_." He'd _just_ earned his five-year coin, he was _not_ going to listen to someone condescend to him.

"Listen-"

"No, _you_ listen, I just pulled a double shift and have been up for over twenty-four hours, but I'm still here to pick up my nieces and I don't cotton to you just jumping in and assuming you know everything about what's going on, so take your tiny little ass and _beat it_."

" _Winter!_ "

Qrow turned around, seeing the flood of students pouring out the doors, and realized that the bell had rung. God, he was so tired he didn't even hear it. He ran a hand down his face as little Weiss all but ran up to them before catching herself and stopping, sliding seamlessly into a curtsey. "Winter," she said in a sophisticated voice. "I'm very happy to see you."

Qrow looked over to the lady, and then back to Weiss. "This is your sister?" he asked, incredulous.

"Wonderful! The two of you have met!"

Qrow shook his head. "I don't envy you," he muttered, sliding off the hood of his junker.

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Weiss is that your sister?"

"Where's my dad?"

Ruby and Yang predictably ran to Qrow, hugging him so ferociously in an attempt to knock him over - and he was tired enough it nearly worked but he managed to hold his ground, hugging them back. Blake was being introduced to the alto, Weiss gleefully proclaiming it was her sister, and Oscar trailed behind, eyes darting around. It was his question that made Qrow look over to the handicapped spot and, indeed, the green sedan wasn't there. He caught Oscar's eyes and shook his head; he didn't know.

"Mr. Qrow, this is my sister, Winter Schnee."

Qrow turned to give a flat look to the alto. "We've met," he said, before turning back to the Schnee he actually knew. "You didn't tell me she was a judgmental know-it-all."

Weiss looked horrified. "Perish the thought! I'll have you know that Winter was valedictorian, both in high school and at Berkley, and is now the chief financial officer of Atlas Industries."

"She also thinks I'm a drunk loiterer."

And Qrow smiled as Weiss looked horrified a second time, immediately turning to her sister. "There is clearly a misunderstanding here," she said quickly. "Mr. Qrow has recently earned his five year coin, meaning he's no longer a drunk, and he always sits here to wait for us."

Winter smirked. "So he _was_ a drunk."

"Okay, that's enough," Qrow said. "Weiss, I take it you're not coming with us?"

Weiss dithered, looking between her sister and her friends, but Ruby was smiling already, and being Ruby. "Go on ahead," she said, "We know you don't see her as much as you want. Spend all the time with her and then give us all the details later! Call us if you think you're near the danger zone."

Weiss smiled and curtseyed again. "Well then, I will see you all next week."

Just as she was saying that a green sedan pulled in, and Oscar wilted in relief. "Dad!"

"Very sorry I'm late. There was an accident on the highway and it took awhile to get to an exit," he said as soon as he stepped out. Oscar waited patiently before he could hug his father. "I couldn't find a good place to text and I just wanted to get here."

Qrow watched the two reunite and smiled, happy to see the soft image.

"Wait," Weiss' sister said, "Repeat that again."

"I said that's Professor Ozpin," Weiss said. "Remember? You said you had class with him?"

Qrow turned to see a look of genuine shock at the alto, eyes wide as she stared at Oz. She broke away from her sister and moved around Qrow's car, stopping just in front of the professor.

"Professor Ozma…"

Oz looked up, blinking only once before giving a gentle smile. "Miss Schnee," he said, "It's a pleasure to see you again." He offered a hand.

"No! No, the pleasure is all mine," she said, transforming into a completely different person: reverent, respectful, polite. "It's been years, I didn't know you had transferred… you look so different!"

Oscar tensed, something Qrow now knew was a reaction to any reference to the accident and the year of hell that had turned the professor's hair white. Oz had no tell like that, just shrugged his shoulders and said brightly, "Well, a lot happened."

"I watched the livestream of your lecture at Oxford, and I read the book you published a few years ago on the philosophy of trauma. Do you have any other dissertations in the works?"

"No projects that big," Oz said cheerfully, "I'm focusing on teaching at the moment; I work at Beacon now."

"A state university? _Why_? That's so beneath you…"

"I believe your sister asked the same question," Oz said with a soft smile. He shook his head to toss a wisp of hair out of his eyes. "You might want to ask her what my answer to that particular question was."

"Oh, yes, of course…"

Qrow watched an idea pop into Oz's head, the slight tilt of the head and narrowing of the eyes. "There's a lot you should talk to your sister about," he said, and Qrow had to quickly turn around to hide his reaction, instead focusing on getting his nieces into the car and stop watching the show. "Why don't you join us for Memorial Day weekend? My son and I are going to be joining the Xiao Long family for a barbecue. Rumor has it they have a net for volleyball, and I find I'm quite enjoying some of the books they have."

Winter blinked, turning her hard eyes to Qrow, who only gave a smug smirk and a wink as he opened his car to get in, hearing her say,

"I'll look at my schedule, but I don't foresee any major difficulties."

* * *

When Winter had told Weiss that they were going to join the Xiao Long household for a Memorial Day barbecue, Weiss wasn't entirely sure she'd heard that correctly.

"You do know that I'm not allowed over there, don't you?" she said to her FaceTime.

Winter only raised a brow. " _I have heard no such thing, therefore, I can borrow you to go wherever we wish_."

And Weiss certainly did _not_ cry tears of joy, she most definitely did _not_ hiss out "thankyouthankyouthankyou" over and over again as quietly as she could so as to avoid anyone hearing her cries of joy, and she would ardently point out the reality that she categorically _did not_ immediately text her friends to say that she was coming on Memorial Day so _plan something big_! Any screenshots or texts of such things were clearly forgeries.

Honestly, the fact that Winter was even _here_ was a miracle that she was _not_ going to let go or ruin.

Of course, unsurprisingly, Winter was decidedly _not_ staying in the house, but had rented what she called a "summer home" two towns over. "It may be a summer home, Weiss, but I'm still working. I'm just working remotely." And that was fine. Weiss figured if she could play her cards right, she could say she was going over to Winter's and instead go visit her friends.

She just needed to get Winter in on the plan and that was trickier. Winter hadn't been home for anything beyond holidays or birthdays for longer than a week. So Weiss hadn't really seen her sister in five years. A small hello during the family Christmas party didn't really equate to proper bonding time. This was probably going to take finesse and planning.

But for now, _barbeque with friends_!

Naturally, Weiss had carefully considered how to dress for the occasion. She was in a summer dress and wide-brimmed hat when she left the house, looking like she was going to a social gathering.

Once she and Winter were there, however, Ruby dragged her inside to the bathroom and Weiss delightedly changed. Tank top and shorts, and _loads_ of sunscreen. But if they were going to play volleyball, a dress wasn't going to cut it. She came running outside smiling.

"Come on Weiss! We're setting up the net!"

Naturally she and Winter were the first to arrive. Mr. Xiao-Long was still setting up the grill, there was a cooler next to the picnic table and the table was filled with food that needed prep for grilling. Zwei, the cutest little corgi that Weiss had ever seen was barking around happily. Weiss immediately joined Ruby and Yang by what looked like a ball of string instead of a net and all three immediately sat in the shade of the house to start untangling it.

"We always wait till Memorial Day to set it up," Ruby explained. "Then it's up till Labor Day. Dad always insists we take it down Labor Day since school has officially started and we no longer have time to fool around with work to do. We usually do soccer instead."

Yang chuckled. "Since we use the volleyball as a soccer ball, Dad usually steals it and hides it for the rest of the year. Once we have the net up and secured to his _exacting_ specifications, he pulls out the volleyball like magic and we can officially begin summer."

"Even though we still have a few weeks of school?" Weiss asked, pulling out another string of the knot and extending it. Clearly, the net had been torn a few times over the years and that led to the mess it was in.

"Yup," Ruby replied, walking out a section that had been de-tangled to keep it out of their way. "He keeps saying it will change next year when we're in high school and have to worry about finals, but he loves playing volleyball as much as us. It's usually Team Strawberry Sunrise versus Team Feathered Dragon!"

"Those names make no sense."

Yang looked to Weiss. "Isn't it obvious? Ruby _loves_ strawberries and my hair is the sunrise. Dad's name means 'Little Sun Dragon' and, well, Uncle _Qrow_."

"Ahh…"

"Oh! We can do Team Winter Rose versus Team Yai!"

"That would be you and Ruby versus me and Dad."

"And Oscar's coming over, maybe we can do Team Rose Garden versus Team Freezer Burn!"

Weiss looked to Yang. "Ruby and Oscar versus you and me."

"How does she come up with these names and how do you get it so fast?"

Yang shrugged.

"Oooooh! Or we can do Team Strawberry Sunrise versus Winter Garden!"

Weiss offered a flat look to Ruby. "You _do_ know my sister's name is Winter and you're going to confuse everyone."

"Hey, everyone!"

" _Uncle Qrow_!"

Both siblings immediately leapt up to tackle their uncle. Weiss only smiled as she rolled her eyes and went back to the knot.

" _Woah_! Hey, hey, I'm gonna drop to food if you don't let-"

"Wahh!"

"The cake!"

"Grab it, grab it!"

" _Woof!_ "

" _Girls_!"

There was the distinct sound of collapse behind her, and Weiss just smiled, letting the normal family sounds wash over her as she focused in on the tangle.

Suddenly Ruby was leaning right over her, grabbing her arm. "Weiss! Weiss! You missed it! We almost lost the cake! The caaaaaake!"

Weiss offered a flat glare, working hard to keep her lips from twitching. "You dolt," she said affectionately.

Ruby dramatically grabbed at her heart, staggering backward.

"Ah! You hit me in my most vulnerable weakness! _Synonyms_!"

Weiss arched an eyebrow perfectly. "Oh. Nitwit? Dodo? Airhead? Simpleton? Ignoramus? Chump? Boob?"

" _Ha_!" Yang shouted as she came over. "Weiss said 'boob'!"

"What-" then Weiss's brain caught up and she was certain she turned red. " _That's not what I meant_!" she shouted. "I was talking about dunderheads, you know-"

"Hey Dad! Uncle Qrow! Prim and proper Weiss said _boob_!"

"How old are you!" Weiss shouted back. "Seven?"

But the laughter just kept spreading.

Winter came over, hands behind her back, staring down her nose.

"Weiss?" she asked, that _tone_ in her voice.

Oh god, Weiss didn't think she could get any _redder_. "Ah, Winter! That's not- I was trying to- _Argh! Get back here Yang_!" With no other recourse, Weiss starting to chase Yang around the yard.

"Weiss!" Ruby called after her. "Come back! We still need to de-tangle the net!"

After much running around the yard, Weiss noted that Professor Ozpin and Oscar had arrived and his food looked to be bread. Weiss followed her stomach right to the picnic table and sliced off some bread. _Fresh baked!_

"Ah! Weiss! No having food before me!" Ruby came running over.

Mr. Xiao Long tapped his tongs on the grill. "One slice of bread each. None are having all this food until the food's been grilled." He looked very pointedly at his daughters. " _Understood_?"

" _Fine_ , Dad!" the siblings chorused.

"Oh yeah!" Ruby turned. "The net! Come on, we haven't finished yet!"

And Weiss let them drag her along, smiling with abandon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light chapter finally - 100% fluff approved!
> 
> We finally get Qrow and Oz to just talk and share stories - we get some details for Oz's unofficial Year of Hell Bingo Board and we get an idea of what it took to get Qrow sober. Neither of them brought up the biggest parts of those respective stories, but it's a nice start.
> 
> Also Winter makes an appearance and obviously hits it off with Qrow. We have more to say about her but that's next chapter. Oscar also shows off that he has a personality, because he's holding a little bit of a grudge to Qrow. More on that later as his arc starts to pick up. Right now we're kind of plate-spinning, because there are a lot of arcs here and while this is predominantly an OzQrow fic the other arcs need proper justice and narrative weight. There really isn't much to say in this chapter, it's a connector as we end the school year and start the summer. Speaking of which:
> 
> Next chapter: Memorial Day part 2. The Drama Strikes Back. Wish us luck in school everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

Ozpin noted, without any surprise at this point, that a wicker chair with cushions had been harvested from somewhere and had cardboard on it proclaiming: _Professor Ozpin's Chair Only! No Stealing!_ He shook his head and smiled. For now he wanted to stay standing. Oscar was by his side, observing the yard carefully. He had admitted, with much gentle poking, that he was nervous. It was very warm and would likely get hot by mid to late afternoon, and Oscar was worried that someone would question him about choosing to wear a button up shirt like his dad and a bandana around his neck.

This wasn't a surprise. Oscar liked summer for _not_ having to always hide his scars in public. This, even with friends, required Oscar to hide his neck and invariably he was approaching teenage years worried about how he looked and what others thought of him being "odd" or some such.

Ozpin had a button up shirt as well, as he also avoided showing his scars, and he'd pulled out a bandana as well for solidarity with his son. "It's very simple," he had explained. "When you're gardening, you need something to wipe the sweat off."

Oscar had smiled and accepted the explanation, but he was still staying close to his father, helping Tai set up the picnic table and the food. Ozpin let him for now. Best to get a feel for something before trying.

"That bread smells delicious," Winter said. "I didn't know you baked."

Ozpin shrugged. "Something I do with Oscar. We enjoy it."

"So do my girls," Tai grinned. "I have to tell them to run around more to burn off the cookies and pastries you make. They don't seem to mind."

Ozpin laughed.

"I see non-baked goods," Qrow leaned over. "Potato salad?"

"A recipe from my grandmother," Ozpin replied. "I have a book of recipes that dates back two hundred years, and each generation adds a few more. Since I won't be teaching this summer, I thought I'd digitize it."

Qrow gave an easy laugh. "Not before you try out all those recipes, I'm sure."

"I will try. Some of them were made during the depression when butter was scarce, so solid grease isn't exactly in ready supply nowadays."

Tai stuttered. "Grease?"

"A form of fat leavings that have been sifted out. It should be an interesting butter substitute to experiment with. To say nothing of all the recipes based on using a fire instead of a regulated oven."

"Sounds like an interesting summer experiment," Winter said.

"Less experiment, more experimental," Qrow chuckled. "Grease? How _did_ our ancestors survive?"

Ozpin's eyes twinkled. "How does any generation survive? How does anyone even define survival?"

Qrow offered a flat look with a wide grin. "Don't go philosophizing on me now, Professor, we're not in class anymore."

Ozpin beamed. "But isn't life it's own classroom? Aren't all interactions and experiences a form of learning?

"Oz…"

Winter cut in. "Don't try to argue with him. We learned at Berkeley that you never win against Professor Ozma."

They all laughed and kept chatting. Qrow and Tai were still setting up food, with Tai focusing more and more on the grill and Qrow running into the house for something. Oscar stuck by the picnic table to help, always watching as the three girls ran around as various distractions occurred to them.

Finally Ozpin went over and gave his son a one-armed hug. "It's alright," he said softly. "Go have fun."

" _Daaaad_ , Oscar rolled is eyes, "I-"

Ozpin gave him a little shove. "Go on."

With a pure pre-teen pout, Oscar headed out to join the girls.

"Ah, Oscar!" Ruby shouted. "Come on! The net's detangled! We need Team Sun Garden against Team Winter Rose!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming."

Qrow was beside him, leaning in to whisper, "Now that's some gentle parenting."

"I always did lean more towards encouraging," Ozpin agreed.

Later, Tai called them all over to the picnic table. "Time to eat!"

Naturally, all children arrived in an instant. The eight of them sat down, children on one side, adults on the other. Oz was between Qrow and Oscar, Winter across from him as they started to dig into the food. Conversation flowed easily and food was consumed until Oscar reached down to Weiss for something he had asked her to pass down.

Ozpin was aware that his arms and legs were very scarred from the accident. During the school year, he was always in a suit and that covered it. In the summer, he still wore pants, but he would wear short-sleeved button ups. The button ups were necessary to hide his neck, but after… everything, Ozpin accepted that he'd been in an accident and the scars showed he'd survived. His scars on his neck were far too complicated to accept. He also had the advantage of being incredibly pale, so that his scars weren't the first thing someone noticed unless they were up close.

Weiss did a double take upon seeing his arm and stuttered. "Ahh, oh.. Um…."

Winter hissed, "Weiss, don't stare, that's rude."

Of course, that drew attention to his outstretched arm.

" _Cool_!" Yang immediately leaned forward to check out all the scars. Ozpin pulled his arm back while Oscar beside him went very, very still. "Ruby, did you see those scars?"

" _Girls_ ," Tai started but Ozpin turned and shook his head.

"Tell me, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin turned and offered a bright smile. "How does one acquire scars?"

"Cuts," she answered promptly, still trying to lean forward and around to better see his arms again. "I have a scar on my knee from when I fell on the driveway when I was a kid."

"Very good. Now, Miss Xiao Long, how does one get many scars?"

Yang paused, looking up to Ozpin now. "Lots of cuts?" she replied, unsure.

"Indeed. And how do you think one feels when it's many cuts?"

"It's just cuts."

Ozpin held out his arms for inspections "Compare the size of these to the size of the scar on your knee."

"They're a lot bigger! And wider! Ohhh…"

Ozpin nodded. "I was in a very bad car accident. It's why I need my cane, and where I got these scars." He pulled his arms back. "It took a long time to heal. I don't hide these scars because they are a sign of my survival. It is natural for other people to notice them and wonder." He looked directly into Yang's lavender eyes. "Most people can figure out that something happened."

Yang looked down. "Sorry, Professor," she said. "I wasn't thinking."

He gave her a gentle smile. "You are still very young. You are learning. Let this be a lesson. I am many years older than you and I still learn something every day. Learning is a good thing. Painful, sometimes, but always a good thing."

"Sure, Professor."

Ozpin turned to Winter. "I believe you can take a guess at the timing?"

Winter nodded solemnly. "It's why you left Berkely, isn't it? You needed to heal."

"In a manner of speaking." The needing to heal part was correct. He hadn't left Berkely because of the accident. That was merely the beginning. "I have found many lessons since that accident. It was painful, frustrating, and terrifying. But ultimately," Ozpin looked to Oscar and hugged him close, "I believe the accident was a good thing for me. Much may have changed, and violently, but I am _far_ better off now than I was before."

Oscar glanced up with a small smile, and nodded.

"Okay," Tai said firmly, "heavy life lessons over. Pass the salad down here already!"

Later, after volleyball had devolved to soccer, had devolved to chasing each other around the yard, Ozpin was sitting with Winter and Qrow. Tai was making a run to the grocery store, and Ozpin had to admit, he was grateful that the chair had been reserved for him. It was even in the shade.

"Weiss!" Winter called out. "Sunscreen! It's been two hours!"

"Now?" Weiss whined.

"Now, young lady!"

"Yang, Ruby, you two as well!" Qrow called. "You don't want to go to school tomorrow looking like tomatoes."

Still smiling and laughing, they all trucked inside to apply another round of sunscreen, Oscar smiling and laughing included.

As the girls passed by, Ozpin heard Weiss explaining to them that not only had she brought sunscreen, she'd also brought shampoo and conditioner. "I'm taking a shower before we leave and changing back into the dress. That way, my dad won't know I've been out playing around like this."

Ozpin doubted Winter or Qrow heard it, given how they were sniping at each other. He sighed and interrupted.

"Winter," he said seriously, cutting through the banter and insults. "Weiss and her brother can't stay with your father."

Both Winter and Qrow looked at him surprised, before Winter looked away.

"Once upon a time, at Berkeley, you were finally free to make your own choices. Look at the results. You are better now than when you were under Jaques Schnee's thumb. Now Weiss and Whitley are the ones who deal with him every day."

Winter let out a heavy sigh, and rubbed her head. "I've been disowned. I can't do anything."

"Bullshit," Qrow growled. "You bought a home here, right? Why don't you-"

Ozpin held up a hand. He knew how long, how many _wasted_ years it had taken him to realize that he needed to _leave_ Salem. No one could have told him, he'd had too many excuses. It wasn't until he'd analyzed his excuses that he realized that they were just excuses.

"Very well," Ozpin said. "But perhaps you can visit? I'm not saying going back to that house is good for you and that you should, but checking in on your siblings? Providing them a safe space?"

Winter grimaced. "I swore that I'd never see my father again outside of obligations."

"I believe you have some obligations to your siblings. And those weigh more than those of your father."

"You think I don't _know_ that? I'm _here_ aren't I?"

Ozpin nodded. "Think about it. That's all I ask. I don't believe Weiss or Whitley deserve what their father is capable of."

Qrow scowled. "You don't know the half of it. He came here to pick them up once. Your father's a real _ass_ , you know that, right?"

Winter's jaw tightened in a way that looked just like Weiss. Ozpin nodded to himself. The point had been made. Pushing wouldn't help. Time to switch topics. "You know, we never _did_ find out why your senior class decided to set up beer pong tables all around the campus in the middle of December."

Winter smiled and jumped at the change of topic.

It was a fun day. Eventually, with all the running around, and after coming back for food such as cake, bread, more burgers and hot dogs, and a notable tackle that had the children falling into some bushes, the children started to get tired and sat down to talk. Oscar, unsurprisingly, brought the gardening tools and he went to the bush to start pruning and making sure not too much damage was done.

Ozpin was talking with Tai at the grill as he put a pork shoulder onto it for dinner.

"Thanks for coming," Tai said as he sprinkled more salt onto the meat. "Usually it's just us. It was nice to have company over for a change."

"It was our pleasure," Oz replied, leaning on his cane and feeling the breeze. "I imagine Qrow has told you… some of my history. Having a place to go has been nice."

Tai offered a hooded look. "My brother-in-law, has only stated that your life could rival his in the whole _fuck my life_ competition. He's been remarkably protective of you."

There was a definite, heavy pause.

Ozpin ignored the implied question. "Meeting Qrow, getting to know your family and becoming friends," he looked up to the blue, hazy sky. "I'd say this has perhaps been the most I've healed."

Tai blinked, clearly not expecting such an answer. "Ahhh, so you're not ready yet," he muttered.

Ozpin offered a polite, questioning look.

But Tai smiled. "Good to know my family can heal other families," he said. He shrugged. "Assuming we can survive their teenage years, I think we'll be good. I'm _not_ looking forward to teaching my two devils how to drive."

Ozpin laughed.

There was a distinct screech of laughter, and all adults looked to see that Ruby had a garden hose and was aiming at her friends. Oscar was already drenched, working to push hair out of his eyes, Yang was already on the run, and Weiss had her hands up in a vain attempt to block the spray. "Ruby!" she was laughing. "Ruby! Knock it off! Hahahaha!"

"Ah, so this is where my daughters have gone."

All the adults turned to the new voice.

"Father," Winter hissed.

Oh dear.

* * *

Jacques Schnee, by Tai's estimation, was currently worth five hundred dollars in the summer suit he was in, brand watch on his wrist, and perfectly oiled hair and moustache. His eyes drifted across the backyard at Weiss, soaked through in her tank and shorts, staring at him in horror with Ruby next to her, also staring with wide, silver eyes. His immediate thought was to get the kids inside and away from Schnee, and he said as much.

"Girls, go inside."

"But-"

" _Go_ ," he said, summoning his grounding voice. Ozpin, next to him, added, "Oscar, you too."

"Dad…"

"This is not a conversation you will want to hear," the professor said.

Next thing to take care of was the wild card:

"Qrow, take care of them."

His brother(-in-law) glared red daggers, but hunched forward and started corralling.

"Whitley," Schnee said, "Go with them."

"Yes, Father."

Every father instinct in Tai cringed at the tone and response, and something in him burned, but he instead lifted his eyebrows and stepped forward. "Hi!" he said brightly. "You must be Jacques Schnee, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Taiyang Xiao Long, we talked on the phone when Weiss came for a sleepover. Did she tell you all the stories, she was so happy-"

"Don't pay dumb with me, Xiao Long," Schnee said, blue gaze dark. "Not when I know you orchestrated all this."

"All what?" Tai asked, continuing to play dumb. "It's Memorial Day, we have a cook out every year, and we invited some friends. Qrow and Winter hit it right off."

"If by 'hit it off' you mean nearly coming to blows," Winter said, a completely different woman. She went from cool to downright cold. "What's this all about?"

"As if you didn't know," Schnee said. "Weiss is forbidden from associating with these criminals. They're all con artists, they only care about our money. I thought you were smarter than that."

"What do you mean con artists?" Winter asked in a deceptively mild voice. "I was invited by Professor Ozma. You of course remember how distinguished he is."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Schnee," Ozpin said.

Schnee looked at the professor, eyes darting up and down, taking in the white hair, the accident scars, and he sneered. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen," he said. "Look at you, associating with riffraff like _them_."

"I'm sorry," Tai said, crossing his arm. "I didn't know there was a 'them' here. If you really did the background check like you said you did then you know that we aren't criminals, and you know that after all of that we have some friends on the force. Should I call them and say there's a trespasser in my backyard?"

Schnee looked at him. "Should _I_ say that you've kidnapped my daughters?"

"Should _I_ point out that they are here on invitation? If there's a misunderstanding over that I'm sure the girls, Winter, Qrow, Professor Ozpin, and myself will all say the exact same thing."

"And _I_ for one didn't know there were people Weiss wasn't to associate with," Winter said, arms crossed as well and finger tapping on a bicep. "I told you I was taking Weiss out for the day. Did it occur to you to let me know of any restrictions to Weiss' movements? Or were you afraid that I wouldn't agree and disobey you?"

"It looks like you did regardless."

"It's not disobeying if it's done in ignorance, _Father_."

"I feel that this is escalating," Ozpin said, "Perhaps we should instead ask-"

"You're not involved in this, Ozma," Schnee all but spat. Then he sneered. "You hardly have a leg to stand on."

Tai stepped forward, getting in Schnee's face, and then he smiled. "Mr. Schnee," he said, carefully modulating his voice, "I'm going to talk from one father to another, okay? Weiss was having a really good time today, and it's nice to give children as many social experiences as possible so they can grow up to be healthy adults. Weiss has had her first sleepover, her first cookout to my knowledge, and she's learning a lot about leadership when she helps the girls with their homework, and she's always conducted herself perfectly. _I_ would be proud of everything she's done so far, and even without being her father I love what I see in her. I would _hope_ that fear over her safety won't accidentally smother her in the process. I mean, every day I'm afraid Yang and Ruby will get into trouble they can't get out of, and there are a lot of lessons they learned the hard way. The good news is that they learned, though. Don't you want _Weiss_ to learn?"

Schnee sneered again. "You tried that on me the night you called," he said. "But what lesson is there to learn in being in the presence of criminals like yourself?"

"What lesson is there in having a father like you?" Tai said, putting his hands on his hips. "Look, nobody here is perfect, and it would be stupid to hold people to every mistake they ever made. By that logic no one would be worthy of having kids."

"Oh, I don't know," Schnee said, "Some of us are more worthy than others."

"That depends entirely on the parent and on the kid," Tai countered. "You might not want to have Weiss around with us but I need to let you know as a father - the more tightly you hold her the more quickly she'll slip away. And you have to ask yourself if you want her gone that badly."

"You seem to think you have any say in this," Schnee said. "I'm here to take my daughters home."

"And no one is stopping you," Tai said quickly, "But I _am_ asking if that's the right thing to do for either of them."

"You don't know anything about my daughters."

"And you don't know anything about mine," Tai said. "Maybe you can stay awhile and get to know us a little better. Maybe first hand research would be better than second hand background checks."

Schnee glared at them: Tai, Oz, and Winter. Tai pushed: "We have hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, fresh baked bread by the professor, just got cake from the store, rolls."

" _Fine_ ," he said, marching forward and taking Oz's seat in the shade. Tai pursed his lips and threw a glance at the professor, but he gave no reaction, instead moving with his cane over to the bench in the sun and began picking up empty plates to make room for another guest. "What kind of wine do you have?" Schnee demanded.

Tai sat down across from Schnee as Winter all but disappeared into the house. "We don't drink in this home," Tai said, keeping his voice warm. "We have soda, orange and apple juice, milk-"

"No wine? Barbarians."

"Not at all," Tai said quickly, feeling his smile strain. "Just a quality of life choice. What do you want?"

"Nothing. For now."

"Sure," Tai said, making himself agreeable. "What do you want to eat? Hot dogs? Burgers?"

"What kind of meat?"

"Ground beef, nothing special. Seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika."

"Tch, tasteless. Very well, I'll have a hamburger."

"Great!" Tai said, getting up and moving to the grill. He glanced in the house, saw Oscar staring out the window, his hazel eyes pressed with worry. Tai caught his gaze, but the boy shook his head. Qrow came out, gave a dark, dirty glare to Schnee, and moved right to the grill. "Why's he still here?" he growled, low.

"Because I invited him," Tai said. "We have to make ourselves look as nice as possible so when he tries to throw money at us he'll get nothing to show for it. He can't make a fight if we've been nothing but polite to him."

"That's pretty optimistic if you ask me," Qrow said. "How long are we supposed to entertain him?"

"At least until Weiss feels strong enough to come out," Tai said softly. "Then it will be her decision. Where's her sister, Winter?"

"Waiting for Weiss to finish her shower. She's not happy, I wouldn't be either if my dad came to one of my parties with you."

"I know," Tai said, flipping the burger. "You wanna try and explain this to DCF?"

"Hell no," Qrow said. "He'd throw so much money around there's no point."

"Can you handle talking to him?" Tai asked.

Qrow frowned, considering. "Not without starting a fight. Oz holding up okay?"

"Hasn't even frowned yet," Tai said. "It's a little scary how little he reacts."

Qrow snorted. "You shoulda seen him when he broke his leg. Didn't even squeak."

Tai winced. "It's unhealthy to hold pain like that in."

"I'm _waiting_."

Tai turned to Schnee. "Be right there!" he said brightly. He turned back to Qrow. "Keep an eye on the girls. I got this."

"You and your Big Dad energy."

"Heh, better than your Bi-Disaster energy."

Qrow snorted and grabbed the bowl of potato salad and moved back into the house. Tai flipped the burger onto a bun, added some lettuce, cut a fresh slice of tomato, and drizzled it with ketchup. He turned back around and saw that Oz had finished clearing the picnic table and was sitting awkwardly at the end of the bench. His bad leg was curled instead of straight, he was making a show of sitting normally, and Tai could only imagine how much that was going to hurt his leg later.

"No publications for four years?" Schnee was saying. "What have you been doing?"

"Raising my son, mostly," Ozpin said simply. "Setting up at Beacon. I have recently been inspired for a new paper: determining the difference between a life - meaning the act of being alive - and a life - the sum total of experiences of an individual. I've already started on some preliminary research to see if I can focus the idea." He tilted his head. "Qrow gave me the idea."

Tai blinked. "Wait, _Qrow_ inspired you to write a paper?"

Ozpin smiled. "I haven't told him yet, I've yet to determine his reaction to such a discovery."

Tai laughed, giving the burger to Schnee. "He wouldn't know what to do with it," he said brightly. "But I should warn you, I'm _totally_ telling Clover. We love having something over Qrow."

"Duly noted," Ozpin replied. "And you, Mr. Schnee? What sort of duties occur being manager of a company as large as yours?"

"I'm the decision maker," Schnee said, ankle up on his knee. "I know how to run my company best, and I do it."

"Yes, but what does the day-to-day look like? What is a typical meeting consist of? Who do you work with the most?"

"Does it matter? It's not like you have any experience in that sort of thing."

"All the more reason to learn," Ozpin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hmph. Well, if you must know, mostly I look at ledgers, bottom lines. The point of the company is to do the most with the least. My primary job is to trim the fat, cut extra costs, maximize profit. My CFO…" He paused, then sneered, "That Chief Financial Officer, in case you didn't know, he crunches most of the numbers, and I look at the bottom line and the policy write ups. I choose the ones that actually make us money."

"Really?" Tai asked. "I can't imagine what those kinds of write ups might look like. How big a presence is your union?"

"You forget, we're a family owned company. Since we're not publicly traded, we don't need a union."

Somehow Tai wasn't surprised. "What are you most proud of?" he asked, sitting next to Oz on the bench.

"Wouldn't that be obvious?" Schnee asked. "My cost effectiveness."

Tai blinked, staring at the man.

"What?" Schnee asked, oily smooth.

"Nothing," Tai said, trying to recover. "Just… not what I expected you to say."

He snorted again; it seemed like his default noise of contempt. "Well what else is there to be proud of?"

"I think perhaps there is a missing context," Ozpin said, leaning forward slightly to adjust his seat. Tai, next to him, could sense the discomfort. "Perhaps as an example, my proudest accomplishment is my son. He's grown to be sensitive, thoughtful, academic and considerate. Tell me, Mr. Xiao Long, what are you most proud of?"

"My daughters," Tai said, grateful for the opening. "Yang is so strong, especially emotionally. She's protective and quick to defend people; she stands up for what's right. Ruby, too - she kind of like Oscar, very empathetic. She has this air about her where she always knows what someone needs and she tries to give it to them. She's just so _sincere_ in everything she does."

Schnee sensed his faux pas, at least, because he coughed and shifted in his seat. "I'm proud of my son, of course," he said quickly. "He's going to take over one day, he's the only one of the three that has the competitive edge the business world needs."

"My condolences," Ozpin said softly, "that he appears to be so cutthroat so young. Children do not normally grow that affect, and it's sad that he's demonstrated it so young. How old is he?"

Schnee snorted again, biting into his hamburger. He made a face. "He's ten and perfectly _fine_. I don't need a crippled has-been judging me on my parenting when your son is starting fights at school. It's a wonder I keep them in public education, they're nothing but animals there."

"And now we're back to a full range of social experiences," Tai said, leaning his back against the picnic table. "What do you think-"

"Father."

Schnee turned immediately. "Yes, Whitley."

"Weiss has finished showering and dressing. Winter has been with her the whole time. The blond girl glared at me the entire time, and the boy's been looking out the window every time I looked, and the red haired girl said everything was very sad. The criminal sat on the couch and turned on the TV."

Finally, Schnee smiled. "Good job, Whitley," he said, putting his hamburger down and standing. "Let's get going."

Tai rushed to his feet. "But we've hardly started-"

"I've entertained you long enough," Schnee said. "We're going home, and you're never seeing my family again. My lawyers will be delivering a restraining order immediately."

Tai had to follow Schnee passed the grill and to the back door, but Qrow was there, blocking the way. "You got a lot of nerve," his brother(-in-law) said, "ruining that girl's holiday."

"And _you_ have a lot of nerve thinking you have a say in this," Schnee said.

Qrow smirked. "Nerve is one of my best features. That and pissing off assholes." He leaned against the frame, looking perfectly laid back but Tai could see the tension in his brother's shoulders, and he knew if Schnee tried to get inside there would be a fight.

"... Mr. Qrow, it's okay..."

Tai looked past Qrow as he turned around, seeing Weiss in her summer dress and wide brimmed hat she had arrived in. Her face and nose were red, and Tai's heart absolutely broke. Winter was at her side, hands folded behind her back in a nearly military posture, face completely closed off.

"Weiss and I have talked," she said in her rich alto voice. "She knows to come clean about restrictions to her movement in the future. This won't happen again."

"I'm surprised," Schnee said. "You haven't been so… accommodating in years."

"Time away has helped me gain perspective," Winter said, no emotion in her voice. "Atlas is going to be building a branch location here, and I've decided to put my name in the hat for head of development. It will be good to be near family again."

Schnee smiled, and Tai had to quickly grab Qrow's arm to prevent him from doing something.

"It's good to have you back," Schnee said.

"Of course, Father. Let's go. Come along, Weiss."

"... Yes."

Winter led the way, Weiss trailing after her. Schnee turned to give one last smug smile, and put a hand on Whitley's shoulder as they, too, left.

"That goddamned son of a _bitch bastard_ ," Qrow cursed. "And the _bitch_! Yelling at Weiss like that."

"No," Ruby said quietly, appearing next to Qrow. "I heard them talking in the bathroom. Winter has a plan, but it's going to take a little time and she has to play nice in the meantime. Weiss gave her permission to yell at her."

"What?" Tai said as they moved back outside. Ozpin had managed to work himself to his feet and was outright _limping_ to his chair, Oscar running to his side. Qrow's eyes wandered over to the scene, and he looked ready to commit murder, and Tai strengthened his grip on his brother before he decided to give chase.

"I didn't hear everything," she said, trailing after them and sitting on the bench, Yang pacing beside her. "But I got the impression that Weiss might be moving in with her sister."

Qrow's eyes doubled in size and then snapped his gaze to Ozpin. "You _planned_ this," he accused.

"No," Oz said, leg out and up and Oscar running practiced fingers over parts of it. His eyes were closed, and the grip on his cane was firm. "Not exactly. But I remembered what Miss Winter was like when I had her, and how much she grew by the time she'd graduated. I wanted her to see that Weiss needed similar guidance. I had hoped… but I did not expect this." His mouth closed into a sudden pout as Oscar did something, and then his face relaxed, exhaling. "I certainly wasn't planning on sitting on a bench with weight on my leg. I'm sorry, Oscar."

"I know, Dad. I don't mind."

Ruby straightened, and then grabbed her phone. "It's Weiss," she said, eyes darting over the screen. "She says she can't come over for the rest of the year, but we're all invited to the summer house for Fourth of July. Winter will be chaperone and make sure their dad doesn't decide to drop by without letting us know."

Qrow grinned. "Looks like Big Dad energy won the day."

"More like Big Sister energy."

"And the restraining order?" Ozpin asked, eyes still closed.

Ruby tapped the question out on her phone and everyone waited for a reply.

Then, at last, a buzz. "She says Winter will work on it. We're all on a group chat now."

"We'll need a separate chat for the adults," Tai said, "To keep all the legal jargon from confusing you."

" _Dad_ , we're teenagers now," Yang said.

Tai grinned. "Don't tell me you understood everything from the trial transcripts you read," he said brightly. "Because even _I_ didn't understand all of it. What's Winter's number," he added, pulling out his phone, "Better get everyone on the same loop now."

* * *

To: Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, From: Weiss Schnee

_Before I start I remind you that I have to delete this chain before the end of the school day. Winter just texted me: on the last day of school she will begin airing out the lake house in the Berkshires. It will take a while, but she's going to take me there on a 'retreat' to 'help me get my head on straight.' All of you are invited. It will be the first two weeks of July, right after the Fourth._

_Wait. REALLY?_

_I dnt kno if I can make it my parents r gonna take me 2 Boston for the 4th_

_Blake! It's a LAKE HOUSE. How are you not on board with this?_

_if its a lake house will there be a beach? should yang and i pack swimsuits?_

_Yes, and yes. Also Ruby, why doesn't your auto-correct fix all those lowercase letters?_

_because i turned off autocorrect. i like lowercase. it's a e s t h e t i c._

_OMG WE NEED TO GO SHOPPING._

_yang stop shouting. we should totally invite oscar and uncle qrow._

_Yeah, we definitely should!_

_Huh? Why?_

_because uncle qrow and professor ozpin are DATING_

_What? How did I not know this?_

_Y when did this hppn?_

_Oh come on, you know how much time they're spending together. Let's text Oscar._

* * *

To: Weiss, Ruby, Blake, Oscar. From: Yang.

_Oscar you're invited._

_I am? To what?_

_Weiss' LAKE HOUSE._

_Wait. What?_

_winter is taking her up there for a retreat and she invited all of us. since uncle qrow and your dad are dating we figured we'd invite you, too._

_Since when is my Dad dating?_

_OMG how are Ruby and me the only ones who see this? Isn't it OBVIOUS?_

_Can't talk now just gotta txt from my bf_

_Blake, he's too clingy, you should dump him._

_Hes going thru a lot rit now I shold b there 4 him_

_Blake, your typing is atrocious. Yes, Oscar, I just asked Winter, and she said she would love to have Professor Ozma as part of the retreat. Blake can't come because of family obligations. It would be a pleasure to have you._

_Hang on, let me ask my dad._

_will there be ice cream? cookies? well if the professor's there there's obviously going to be cookies but what if there's ice cream too? can we bring zwei, he'd love to go swimming!_

_Winter is allergic to dogs, so I don't think Zwei can come, unfortunately. But rest assured there will be ice cream, and I'm trying to figure out if we can have fireworks. She didn't say no but she didn't say yes, either._

_Don't worry, we got it. We'll ask Uncle Qrow. He's great for stuff like that._

_ooooooo what if we get a ride? what if weiss' butler picks us up?_

_He's a personal assistant! How many times do I have to tell you?!_

_Dad just texted, he's going to talk to Winter first before he says yes._

* * *

To: Winter Schnee, Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow. From: Ozpin Ozma

_Oscar has just given me the most peculiar of texts. He says Weiss has invited him to a lake house retreat. Given current circumstances I feel the need to verify this before committing an answer._

_Actually, I think that's a good idea, Professor. You were there for Memorial Day, so this affects you, too. I've just been confirmed as the lead director in making a New England Branch office. With that out of the way I'm going to try and sue for custody of Weiss and Whitley._

_I see. Congratulations. Forgive me, but what does this have to do with a lake house retreat?_

_To let Weiss visit her friends, away from Father. I've spent the last two weeks convincing him I'm back in the fold to get this to happen, specifically so her friends can visit under my supervision._

_Then Why Invite Us? Also Hi. Qrow's Probably Asleep Right Now So I'll Have To Answer For Him._

_I'm inviting you because I want you all to feel comfortable. I can only imagine the concerns you have trusting your children to a Schnee after what my father pulled on Memorial Day, and I don't want you to worry._

_Very well. I'll inform Oscar that we'll be joining you, I'm sure it will make him very happy._

_I Agree. Ruby And Yang Would Love To Come. Qrow Would Too, If He Can Get The Vacation Time._

_Would alla you stfu i'm trying to sleep here and you keep makn my phone buzz._

_Then Put It On Silent Qrow! You Know How To Do That!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jacques Schnee is a Bad Man, we can all agree on that right? But the big thing for this chapter is that it's Winter's chapter, and we start to see the shape of Weiss' arc as a result. Oz manages to get Winter to see just how bad it is for the other Schnee children and as an added bonus she decides to take matters into her own hands. This is also the moment where the two of us sat down and said, "Hey. If we have all these ideas maybe we should make an outline." From here on out you'll see much more attention paid to time of year as we pace out when certain story beats hit compared to which plate is spinning.
> 
> We also get to see how everyone handles stress in a nutshell. Qrow is aggressively belligerent until he's banished, Oz gives absolutely nothing away and Tai - the healthy one - tries to turn it around with mixed results. Winter gets devious, Oscar religiously watches the adults out of concern for his dad, Yang want to hit something and Ruby is the token empath. We didn't realize how much was happening in this chapter until we did a final proof-read. So much character...
> 
> And as an added detail we know now that Oz's scars are in two types: the accident scars and the ones on his neck. And Oscar really wants to cover his neck too...
> 
> Also texting. We tried to make everyone identifiable: i.e. Blake can't spell and Ruby is all lowercase and Tai capitalizes everything. It's easier in the AO3 posts, because the texts are color coded for exactly this reason.
> 
> Next chapter: Winter gets advice from a lot of people and we add another notch to Oz's Year of Hell checklist.


	11. Chapter 11

Ozpin woke early on July 5th. He and Oscar had watched the fireworks the night before from a restaurant parking lot, getting home at around midnight, but his internal clock still woke him up at five a.m. expecting an hour drive to work. Tired but knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to bed once he saw the time, he stretched and worked his bad leg to be mobile enough to get out of bed. It was always so _stiff_ , and stretching and pulling it limber was always a process. Then: shower (best thing in the world to limber up), dress, morning physical therapy, and get breakfast ready - cereal and cinnamon rolls, all he had to do was pour milk and orange juice - for when Oscar's alarm went off at seven. He pulled out his suitcase, packed the day before, and opened it up to go through his checklist again.

He had a lot of time to spare after that, and he took a walk around his small block to warm up his bad leg a little more. It felt almost bendable when he came back, and he stretched it out on his front porch with a cup of coffee, taking his morning medication and watching the sun shrink the shadows of the street. He always loved the quiet of a summer morning, before everyone was up, the weather warm but not hot.

Oscar apparently slept with the window open, Ozpin heard the alarm go off from above and he smiled, giving his son a little time to come down off his own volition. Inside of fifteen minutes Oscar stumbled down, wearing only the minimal stitches of clothing, rubbing his eyes and trying to remember how thinking worked. Oz had poured milk by then, and he watched his son slowly come on line.

"Are you packed?"

"Huh?"

"Your suitcase. Are you packed? We're being picked up in a little over an hour."

Finally, Oscar snapped awake, hazel eyes blinking open as he realized what day it was. Oz silently counted in his head: three, two, one…

"Ah!" Oscar jerked to his feet and stumbled out and upstairs.

"Don't forget your wetsuit!" Ozpin called, smirking into his orange juice.

By nine o'clock Oscar was on the front porch, duffle bag and backpack in hand, and Oz went through the list: five sets of clothes, swimwear, _underwear_ \- then go back and get some - books, sunscreen, shades, hat, beach sandals - then go get _those_ too, you're not tracking sand into wherever we're staying - travel chess set, and the obligatory phone-id-keys.

"But what about you?" Oscar said, going through the other list: five sets of clothes, underwear, books, sunscreen, shades, hat, beach sandals, morning and evening medication for two weeks and two days, notebook for Miss Winter, phone-id-keys-wallet.

"All set, then," Oz said. "Thank you for being so responsible as to check in on me."

Oscar shrugged. "Someone has to do it."

Oz smiled, even as he felt a pang of guilt that Oscar felt the need to do that. Fifteen minutes of Oscar pacing the front porch and a minivan arrived, Ruby sliding open the door and waving manically. "We're here! We're here! Look at the limo service!"

"It's _not_ a _limo_ ," Weiss could be heard correcting. A driver came out and Ozpin was spared the burden of walking with his suitcase. Oscar took his own bag, following the driver to the back of the van and Oz maneuvered into the vehicle. There were, apparently, three rows of seats. Front and passenger - driver and Winter. A middle row for the girls, and the back row for the adults: Tai, a sleeping Qrow, and now Ozpin. He frowned, wondering where Oscar was supposed to sit, but all of the girls shifted to one side to make room for Oscar, who stuffed himself in and shut the van door as they all tried to figure out seatbelts. Ozpin himself took several minutes to set his bad leg - he had the room but it took him a while to figure out the sweet spot. By the time he was done the driver was back at the wheel and they slowly pulled off of Pine Wood, hooking on to Main and making its way to the highway.

With Qrow snoring in the middle seat, Oz looked over to Tai. "How long is the journey?" he asked - hoping he was audible over the loud din of the children.

"Two and a half hours," Tai said. "We'll take a break once we're in Massachusetts, stretch our legs."

Oz nodded, and pulled out a book, wedging his elbow onto the arm rest to keep his book at eye level and prevent car sickness. In the span of ten minutes he'd managed to tune out the children and lost himself in the fantasy of magic and adventure and happy endings. The hum of the highway and the sound of his son laughing, the quiet of the back row of seats, the promise of adventure, and a good book soothed his mind and he drifted in the other world until he felt a weight on his shoulder.

Confused, he turned to see Qrow, still sleeping, had managed to slide sideways, his head now on his shoulder. Circumstantial touch, not something dangerous, and Ozpin stared for several moments, trying to decide what to do. He looked over to Tai, saw he had noticed, and smiled awkwardly.

"He's been pulling double shifts to take the time off. He only just got home when we picked him up."

"What the time did he wake up yesterday?"

"Noon so he could pack. He worked a twelve hour shift."

Oz nodded in sympathy, and looked at Qrow again. Better to let him sleep…

A little over an hour into the drive they pulled off the highway - they had just passed Sturbridge Village and pulled into some kind of diner. The children all piled out of the car to move around, Tai following almost immediately to keep them contained as the driver stepped out to refuel and Winter got on the phone. Qrow was still sleeping on Oz's shoulder, and he wasn't exactly able to move around anyway with his bad leg, so he contented himself to being able to listen to his friend's even breathing as he looked out the window. The girls were crowded around an outdoor vending machine, trying to figure out what to have and slowly forming a line, Oscar in the back. Once they purchased their snacks they moved to an outdoor picnic table where Tai was motioning them to join. Weiss was first, then Ruby, then Yang, and finally Oscar made it to the vending machine.

He smiled as he saw Oscar fumble for his money, realizing he'd never checked to see if Oscar had brought any and started for his own wallet in preparation for Oscar asking. That was when he saw _him_. Ozpin blinked, uncertain his his eyes were deceiving him, but there he was: tall, broad - he had a beard now, and he was walking _right up to Oscar god in heaven what if-_

Oz switched gears, reaching instead for his phone, knowing there was no way he could wrangle himself out of the van in time. _Be careful,_ he wrote _, stay on your guard._ He hit sent and glued his eyes to the vending machine: get the text get the text _please get the text and pull out your phone_ -

Oscar looked down, reaching into his pocket and reading the message. He stiffened, but now he was upon his son and Oz's entire body was tense. Oscar turned around and looked up and up and _oh god what if he recognizes Oscar as his son he would never forgive himself he would_ -the man smashed his fist into the vending machine and it _rattled_ , and Oscar, wide eyed, reached down and pulled out a bag of chips.

Ozpin held himself perfectly still, afraid to even _breathe_ , but Hazel Reinhart only said a few inaudible words and walked off, getting into a sedan and driving away.

Oscar ran immediately back to the van, climbing in, and Oz was just so relieved that everything had turned out fine that he leaned forward, forgetting the weight on his shoulder and the indignant "Wha…?" shimmying to the edge of the seat to run his hand through his son's hair and see that everything was okay, it was okay, _god it was okay…_

"Dad?" Oscar asked, voice small. "Who was that?"

Oz exhaled, overcome with what ultimately amounted to wasted emotion, because everything was fine, everything worked out, he could _breathe_.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning back into his seat. He adjusted himself and only then realized that Qrow was still next to him, rubbing his eyes. Failed on two counts, then, he mused. He gave his son a heavy gaze. "That man just now, he was Gretchen's brother."

Oscar lost all color, instinctually looking back outside to the long gone car. "The girl in the accident?" he said, voice small.

"Yes," Oz admitted.

"And who the hell is Gretchen?" Qrow asked next to him, red eyes still tired but looking between the two of them.

"... someone from my past," Oz said, guilty that he had woken Qrow from a well deserved sleep.

"Gretchen Reinhart was one of the people who died in the accident," Oscar said. "He's mad at Dad for surviving."

"... what?" Qrow asked, more awake now.

"He came to the house when I was at school," Oscar said, "Dad had to go to emergency care."

Wide, red eyes, and Oz quickly looked down before he saw more, burning with shame that Qrow had to hear this. "Oscar, you don't need to relive this," he said. "Sit with the others, I'll talk to Mr. Qrow."

"Dad… you can't shield me from everything."

"I know," Oz said, humiliated that Qrow was even listening to this. "But there've been too many things I should have shielded you from and I didn't. Please give me this." He glanced up, held Oscar's eyes, and he nodded, lips pursed, as he got out of the van.

Ozpin closed his eyes, tilting his head back and made himself breath. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Shouldn't apologize for something you couldn't control," Qrow said, and Oz turned to see Qrow sitting sideways in his seat, elbow resting on the top of the seat. "You gonna give me details? Or does it hurt too much?"

"No, it's just…" He frowned, trying to find the right words. "When I woke up in the hospital, after the accident, she wouldn't visit. It was two weeks before I could go home, and when the staff said I had a visitor I thought… but it was the brother of Gretchen Reinhart, the girl who was killed in the accident. He was grieving so deeply, lost in his loss. He demanded to know why I survived when she didn't, what audacity I had to be grateful to be alive. He was most disruptive, and the staff asked him to leave. He wouldn't, and he was escorted out."

"Okay," Qrow said, voice still rough. "I can get that, but then what's this about going to emergency care?"

"That was after I had come home. I had told her everything, and she thought the entire matter was silly, and that it could be worked out if we just sat and talked. She said the only thing that made sense was that I had gone out of my way to antagonize him."

"... From your _hospital bed_?" Qrow demanded, indignant.

Ozpin shook his head. "That was her way," he explained. "If she didn't understand something she gave it meaning, and the entire world could not change her mind, nor god himself. Recovery was going to be six months - I couldn't even drive, she had to take me to doctor's appointments and she hated taking the time off. I was in a wheelchair. After being home for a month, she told me that she had done me a favor, that she had found Hazel Reinhart's number and invited him over so the two of us could talk and work out our issues."

" _What._ "

Oz was staring at the roof of the car, unable to meet Qrow's eyes.

"I remember sitting in the living room, Oscar had left for elementary school barely an hour prior. She was getting ready for work when there was a knock on the door. I could hear his voice from the living room, he and Salem talked a little, and she just… she invited him in, said we had all day to talk, and then left for work."

"Fucking _bitch_ ," Qrow cursed, and the vulgarity washed over Oz and warmed something deep inside him. He'd never heard someone echo such a reaction about Salem, and it made his emotions over it all valid, and he sank into the carseat, at ease to hear such an aggressive tone.

"I tried to talk," he said, the words coming out a little easier. "I expressed what I had been doing before the accident, what I could remember, but he was fixated on my surviving and Gretchen not. He was… he _is_ wounded in a way that cannot be healed, and nothing I said could help him. He got more and more angry and he…"

He closed his eyes, remembering being lifted out of his wheelchair by his lapels, shoved to the side and his bad hip banging against the coffee table and _all the pain_.

"Salem had gone to work," he said, voice barely audible. "My phone was in the bedroom, and the house phone was a wall mount. I had to wait for Oscar to come home and ask him to give me the phone."

"Jesus _fucking_ Christ," Qrow spat. A hand slapped on his shoulder and Ozpin stiffened, still remembering the iron grip, the slow-motion sensation of falling and knowing it would be bad. He turned, saw that it was only Qrow touching him, and he forced himself to relax. Qrow's red gaze was intense, _furious_ , and he was shaking in a way that made Ozpin wonder…

" _Fuck_ ," he said again. "You had no right to go through that. What the hell is wrong with... I don't even know… _Shit_ there aren't enough swears for this. What a clusterfuck! Oz…" His eyes, technically looking at Oz but also lost in the fury, they focused on Ozpin and the hand at his shoulder went to the back of his neck. Ozpin stiffened again _not the neck not like her_ but Qrow leaned in, filling his field of vision. "Oz," he said again. "I'm so fucking sorry that happened to you."

… No one had ever said that to him before, except for Oscar, and Oz closed his eyes before the emotion overtook him. He held himself still, afraid to share the emotion, but he finally took a breath.

"... Thank you," he said, hating how small his voice was.

"Don't thank me for doing so goddamn little."

" _Qrow_ , language."

"Shut _up_ Tai I got a right to swear after this. I can't believe-"

Oz reached out, touched Qrow's knees, caught his gaze. "Not in front of the children," he said.

"Not in front of the children?" Yang repeated. "What, were you gonna kiss or something?"

Ozpin decided not to answer that, letting Qrow handle his niece.

* * *

That night, after they had arrived at the lake house, screamed over how big the house and lake respectively were, ran around like idiots, picked their rooms, unpacked, played beach volleyball, and ate an absurdly big supper, Tai asked Qrow what had happened on the drive up. Then he'd cursed as bad as Qrow as they realized just how screwed up Oz's relationship with his ex was, and just what his purported Year of Hell looked like.

That night he'd dreamt of Summer, those last weeks in the hospital before she finally passed, and how numb he was after the funeral. He woke up in a bad mood, needed three cups of coffee instead of two to wake himself up - and he knew that was a bad sign. He spent the morning walking around the lake, air boxing on occasion, fighting invisible enemies to articulate how he was feeling. He hadn't needed to do this in years, and he was a little worried to see how often he would need to do this as Qrow got closer to Oz. He also worried that any of Oz's problems would make Qrow backslide - five year coin or not he was still _Qrow_ , walking bi-disaster capable of drinking himself into oblivion if he had just one bad day. He still thought about Clover's revelation that Qrow had spent years not believing that Raven was as twisted as she was, and good influence or not Oz's baggage might be a tipping point.

Then he thought about Yang being excited over the idea of her uncle having a boyfriend, and he could finally smile, because sometimes children were _wonderful_ things. He loved his little girls.

He pulled out of a walk and into a jog, and came back in time to help grill lunch. Qrow was just getting up, still untwisting his internal clock and sitting in a daze on the porch, next to Oz who was reading a book. Tai smirked. They were a cute couple, when they figured it out.

Several hot dogs and hamburgers later, the kids went back to the lake, determined to make sand castles in the rocky New England version of a beach. Ozpin was in his spot on the porch, "supervising," Qrow sitting on the railing, and Winter came out of the house with a laptop, sitting in the swinging loveseat and opening it up as Tai finished packing up the grill.

"Miss Winter," Ozpin said, eyes finishing a paragraph and closing his book. "I have a number for you." He reached into a pocket and pulled out his wallet, popping out a card and handing it over.

"Robyn Hill, Litigation Firm," Winter read, looking up in question.

"My divorce lawyer," Ozpin said.

"While I would love to divorce my father, I don't think the firm would be very helpful to me."

"You misunderstand," the professor said. "You are right, one of their lawyers helped me with my divorce, but their firm is more diverse than that. They also handle custody cases, and that was a particular bone of contention for me. Precedence dictates children stay with their mothers and that was utterly impossible in my situation. My circumstances were such that I did not feel it safe to interact with my ex-wife for even an email or voicemail. They helped build a case to declare her unfit and to give custody to me."

"I don't understand," Winter said. "You were living in California. This firm is based in Massachusetts."

"Yes," Ozpin said, nodding his head in such a way that it was patently understood that that was all he was going to say on the subject.

Tai glanced at Qrow and knew that he saw it too, turning his eyes from the beach to look at Oz more carefully.

"You will find this particular point very interesting," he added with a smile. "Their portfolio is quite diverse, not only do they handle separation and custody, but when I looked them up before coming here I realized they also have their hand in corporate prosecution."

Winter snapped to attention. "What?" she asked.

"It says so on their website, and I called Ms. Hill last week to ask permission to hand out her number. She said she was particularly interested in the idea of taking Mr. Schnee down. If there is difficulty suing for custody, there may be room to have him charged criminally, and that would settle several problems in one."

Winter's eyes were double in size, and Tai was more than a little impressed. Qrow whistled in agreement.

"This is… this is… I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything," Oz said. "Just use the opportunity to the fullest."

"... Yes. Of course. Thank you, professor."

"You're gonna make us look bad, Oz," Qrow said, smirking and shaking his head.

"Yeah," Tai said, "I don't know that we have nearly as much to offer." He crossed his arms and leaned against one of the porch pillars, hooking one foot over the other. "But there are some basic quality of life stuff you need to know. When we were building a case against Raven, the cops asked us for all documents pertaining to her. We unlocked our phones, let them read emails, voicemails, text chains, everything. I even turned over my computer so they could data mine it from the time before she left. Any stuff you have ahead of time will speed up the process - they still have to subpoena and collect everything, but if they already know what they're looking for that helps with the mining."

"And this might sound stupid, but doesn't matter if it's cops or lawyers, be nice to them. They get even a hint that you're bad news and they'll make life worse for you. I learned that the hard way, got too in the face of one of the investigators and it turned into a whole mess."

That was putting it _mildly_. Tai coughed. "You and your disaster energy," he muttered.

"Hey, I fixed it, didn't I?"

"Yeah. _After_ you nearly came to blows and they threatened to arrest you."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Winter said in a flat voice. "But I take your point."

"Yeah, lay off the ice queen aesthetic."

" _Qrow._ "

"What? She wants help."

Tai rubbed his face and let it drop. He listened to Winter type on the keys as she took notes. "What else should I know?" she asked.

"Well," Tai said, shifting his weight. "If you really want to come out the other side of this healthy, you're going to want therapy."

Winter looked up from her laptop. "What?" she asked, her alto voice low and almost accusatory.

Tai shrugged. "Don't knock it until you've tried it," he said. "After Raven and Summer… I shut down. I'm not proud of it, but I did. I could barely get up out of bed, I walked around the house like a zombie. Qrow's drinking started to really tick up, and Yang and Ruby were still in diapers practically. I legitimately couldn't tell you what the girls ate for about a year before I realized how bad things were getting." He could still remember the morning he woke up, and instead of thinking about Summer's side of the bed he thought about what the girls were going to eat - he had started to mourn all over again - he'd forgotten Summer…! - but the question finally started to sink in, and he belatedly realized he wasn't even sure what food he had in the kitchen. Then he realized he couldn't remember when the girls had last eaten - he moved to their bedroom to check on them. Both of them were asleep, and they were so small, and someone had to take care of them, and…

He shook the memory off, cringing at himself. He saw Qrow watching him, also remembering.

"The girls were too young," he said, "They didn't really know what was going on, but I knew I needed help to put myself back together, so I went online to find somebody. First one didn't work but the second one did and… I say this a lot but you learn a lot in therapy. I got more than learning how to deal with Summer's loss, I learned how to handle the girls without putting my grief on them, I learned more about Raven and Qrow than I thought possible, and I learned what normal reactions looked like."

"Normal reactions…?

Tai shook his head. "Not 'normal.' Like, all reactions are legit, but how to recognize an extreme reaction, how to break it down and not just be all over the place. My stuff with Summer, it was all normal, but how I was handling it wasn't, I was letting myself be torn to pieces because I thought that's what I deserved."

"Tai…" Qrow said, but his eyes were down, thinking about how little help he was during that period of their lives.

"I brought the girls with me because I didn't have money for a sitter, so they grew up knowing what asking for help looked like and how to get it. I know for a fact that they wouldn't be as healthy as they are if I didn't go to therapy. We went again when Yang walked in on us talking about Raven's parole, and again when things got really bad with Qrow, so the transition wouldn't be so hard. That was more family therapy than just therapy, Yang and Ruby had a lot of questions about Qrow's rehab and what would he look like when he came out."

"You never told me this," Qrow said, frowning.

Tai shrugged. "You were just out of rehab. I didn't want you to feel more guilty than you already did. I was afraid you'd fall off the wagon again." He knew Qrow was going to mull that over for a while, so he turned back to Winter. "If the idea of help is something you're not ready for yet, then legally there would be a papertrail from the therapist's notes on the kind of abuse you and Weiss and your brother went through. I don't know if the boy would be ready yet - it looks like Schnee trained him to be a tattle tail - but after you get custody it might help. Where does your mom fit into this?"

Winter frowned, looking away and pausing in her typing. "She's... not well," she said.

"Then get her a sponsor," Qrow said, immediately understanding the pause. "I wasn't big on therapy the way Tai is, but Clover got me through a lot of shit when I was putting myself back together - he might as well have been a therapist for all he was doing on top of throwing me on the wagon over and over. She's gotta admit the problem though, and if she's anything like me she'll be a stubborn sonuvabitch with all the excuses in the world. Don't let her push you away, don't let her hide away, don't let her be anything but cold sober when she interacts with you and the family. Set the boundary and feed her to the crows when she crosses it, or she'll never learn." He just his chin to Tai. "He had to throw me out twice, then the girls staged an Intervention, before I finally got my head on straight. Or bi, as the case may be."

"I'm so sorry you all had to go through that," Ozpin said softly. "You both are extraordinary for being as well-adjusted as you are."

Qrow scoffed. "Define well adjusted, Oz. I'm still a disaster, I just learned how to ask for help."

"For such a simple task it is a herculean endeavor," Ozpin said. "The self-imposed barriers one creates to make asking for help seem insurmountable, the societal pressures that create the myth that asking for help be a weakness, a country born on independence and pioneer spirit so deeply ingrained in our psyche it has twisted into libertarian isolationism instead of communal and societal growth." He leaned back, tapping his cane on the porch. "I have another idea for a paper."

Tai smirked so hard he turned his face so Qrow wouldn't see. God, his brother(-in-law) was a goddamn _muse_ for the professor.

"You've given me a lot to think about," Winter said, voice low as she turned and looked at the kids making their sand castle. Her eyes were on Weiss, Tai knew. Her face was soft in profile, the faintest of smiles at watching her sister. She turned back to the adults. "I'll start research tomorrow," she said firmly. "Thank you."

* * *

Weiss snuck out of the room quietly. Ruby and Yang apparently didn't know what it meant to get up early, so she slipped into the bathroom to change and go for her morning jog. She enjoyed jogging in the morning. She did play sports and conditioning was important. If she was going to be the best, she needed to keep it up over the summer. She waved at Professor Ozpin who was having a cup of coffee on the porch as she headed out. Winter was probably going through her emails and setting up her day now that she was head of whatever sector she was setting up here in New England. Mr. Qrow was probably still dead to the world, given that he usually worked late night shifts.

The jog helped Weiss wake up a bit more and she was back in an hour. Professor Ozpin offered suggestions on stretches and she always listened to him. Given his limited mobility, he probably knew more stretches on how to limber limbs than a gymnast. Then it was a shower. Oscar was usually up and spending breakfast on the porch with his dad, which gave Weiss time to have breakfast with Winter inside where it was air-conditioned. In another hour or so, Ruby, Yang and Mr. Qrow would probably be up and eating, and then she'd talk with her friends about what to do for the day.

That had been their routine for the past three days and Weiss liked it.

(Though, if Ruby and Yang kept her up as late as they had been, she wasn't going to be getting up so early anymore….)

She poured her cereal and milk and smiled. No Father. This was bliss.

"Good morning, Weiss," Winter greeted, coming into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Winter," she replied with a smile.

Her sister sat down with her coffee, but wasn't smiling. Weiss shrugged. Probably business stuff. Weiss was already going over what to do for the day. Could she maybe convince Professor Ozpin to show them his recipes for some of those cookies…. After all, it was supposed to rain that afternoon with thunderstorms. Or maybe camp stories around the fireplace instead of a campfire? Hmmmm. She smiled.

"Weiss," Winter said softly.

"Yes?"

And her sister Looked at her. Serious, and heavy.

"Professor Ozma and I had a long conversation yesterday. You need to know what I'm planning."

"...Okay?"

Winter squared her shoulders. "I'm going to sue for custody of you and Whitley."

Weiss's jaw dropped.

"But I'm not going to start proceedings until I have enough to win." Winter looked her right in the eye. "I'm going to need your help."

"Wait, _what_? You can _do_ that?"

"I'm planning to. I need anything you can give me that's documented."

"Documented?"

Winter nodded stiffly. "Do you keep a journal? Has he left you any voicemails or emails or texts that you still have?"

Weiss immediately pulled out her phone and unlocked it, handing it over. "Look at whatever you need," she said resolutely.

Her sister's shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch. "Thank you. I'm going to dig through this a lot today, take notes, etc. You'll need to submit them properly when we start the case, so don't lose them. And don't let him delete them."

Weiss gave a cold smile. "Do you have a spare harddrive?"

Winter smiled. "There's one other step we'll need. And I do mean _we_."

"If it gets me out of there, I _will_."

Winter grimaced. "Mr. Xiao Long mentioned it. We're going to need to enter therapy."

Weiss immediately froze. "But… therapy is for people with problems."

Her sister arched a brow. "We have problems."

"No, not like that," Weiss replied. "Like, for victims of abuse, survivors of trauma. People with disorders. We aren't that." Weiss shook her head, not sure how to explain it. "Yeah, Father will yell at us and go on for hours at a time, but he's never hit any of us, he hasn't done child abuse."

Winter's shoulders dropped and she got up and pulled Weiss into a hug. "There's more kinds of abuse than physical," she said softly. "Mr. Xiao Long and his family, they all went through therapy and have come out stronger for it. Mr. Branwen as well. And Father has damaged us in a way. We need to make sure it doesn't scar us."

"I don't know..."

"Think about it," Winter said. "I'll go through your phone, I'll be going into therapy myself. You're welcome to come. But _only_ if you're comfortable. And I think you'll benefit from it."

Weiss's thoughts were swirling. She had a lot to think about.

* * *

Needless to say, Weiss was sullen all day. She didn't have much energy for… anything. Not to say she didn't try, but… Therapy? That wasn't for her. That was for people who suffered heartache, abuse, damage. People who suffered trauma. Her father didn't traumatize them. Yes, he yelled, and bad days were… bad, but he never raised his hand, he never hit them. You saw what bad people did in movies. All her father did was yell for hours. And he didn't listen.

That didn't mean she needed therapy. Therapy was for people who couldn't handle day-to-day life. Weiss was top of her class, she did all her work on time, didn't struggle in any kind of school work, she had friends, she wasn't isolated or vulnerable or picked on like Oscar. She didn't need therapy.

"Weiss?" Ruby had asked after lunch. Oscar was with his dad, looking over a book and the other adults were in the house somewhere. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ ," she growled.

"Really? Because you seem kinda… distant."

Weiss rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sound. "It's fine," she repeated.

"Okay… just… if you need anything…"

Weiss whirled, "I said I'm _fine_!" And all the swirling feelings inside of her just started raging out of control. "You wouldn't _get_ it! You have a great dad! You had a super-mom! You don't _get_ what it's like! I'm sorry I don't fit into a normal definition of fine, but for me, this is _fine_!"

She had to be fine. She didn't need therapy.

Did she?

She scoffed and stormed away into the house and up to the bedroom that she and her friends shared and gave the door a good slam. Weiss fell face first onto her bed and just lay there. She didn't know what to do, and what Winter had said that morning was still swirling around in her head.

…. And she didn't even have her phone to look anything up!

" _Argh!_ "

Almost an hour later, Weiss was still moping around in her room when there was a nock on the door.

"Go _away_!"

The door opened and Yang stepped in. "No can do," she said. "It's not often someone can get Ruby upset. I've got her okay and she's with Dad now. Now what the hell is up with _you_?"

" _Nothing_. Everything is _fine_ ," she growled.

Yang gave flat eyes that seemed to flash red and stepped right into her space. "Bullshit, Ice Queen. Something's bothering you, so _spill it_."

Weiss stood up and faced Yang down. "You are _not_ my parents or Winter. You do _not_ get to order me around."

"Well someone has to, Ice Princess," Yang snapped back. "Because you _don't_ get to snap at Ruby like that."

"Oh, I'm soooo _sorry_ ," Weiss shouted, hand on hip and finger waving. "I'm so sorry that you've had such a happy great life that you can't take it when someone points out that the rest of us don't have such wholesome lives. I'm _soooo_ sorry that I pointed that out. It's so _unfortunate_ that you had to have-"

" _Stop_ saying that we've had perfect lives," Yang pushed her finger away. "You weren't there. You don't know how bad it was after Summer died. You don't know what it was like to watch Uncle Qrow drink himself to death. You don't _know_ -"

"Well _you_ don't know!" Weiss shouted back. "You don't have to walk on eggshells every day, wondering if you're going to set someone off-"

"Yes, we _do_ know that! We just-"

" _Exactly_! You 'just'! Well it's not just!"

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Then speak clearly!"

Yang was so furious it looked like she was burning, but she stopped and took a step back before taking a breath. They were both panting, and they had both been screaming.

Weiss let out a sigh and stepped back as well, sitting on her bed.

"Look," Yang was quieter, "we get it. Your father's a world-class jerk who can wind you up in knots and has you learning to lie like a cheap rug to get around him."

Weiss snorted.

"We may not get all the details of it, but Ruby and I, we _know_ what it's like to get through a tough time." Yang sat down on the floor. "After Summer died, Dad was a mess. I had to learn how to cook so that we didn't starve. I kept looking at box instructions and stuff and I still messed up, but at least we could eat. Uncle Qrow would look after us, but he was forgetful because he was drunk most of the time. It wasn't until Dad started therapy that he started to function again. Same for Uncle Qrow and A.A. And that was _after_ Ruby and I learned how to do an intervention. Ruby doesn't remember a lot of that, because she was still so young, but I _do_. I _know_ what it's like when things are rough. Not the same way, but rough doesn't really care as long as it's rough."

Weiss let out a gusty sigh, letting her head sink into her hands.

"Winter said she's going into therapy. She wants me to as well," she said, her voice small. "Therapy is for people who can't handle things. It's for people who've been abused. I don't fit either of those categories. I just can't figure out why Winter thinks I need therapy as well."

She felt Yang sit next to her on the bed. "You remember when we had health?"

"Second quarter, I got a 97."

"Of course you remember that," Yang chuckled. "Our last unit was on mental health, you remember that?"

"I did my project on exercise and how it lowers stress levels."

Yang lightly cuffed her head. "Stop showing off that perfect memory. The whole point of that project was to realize that there's a stigma on mental health and that we should be okay with understanding how to ask for help."

Weiss pulled out of her hands and offered a flat look to Yang. "And how do you know that? I'm the one who got a perfect score."

"Because I _also_ got a perfect score," Yang said tartly, but not meanly. "I did my project on therapy."

Weiss held her lips together. Winter had mentioned that the Xiao Long family had done therapy, but was she allowed to bring it up? Was that some sort of breach of trust or mental health? Instead, she simply said, "Uh-huh."

"It's like I was saying before, Ruby doesn't remember it very well, not the first time, but I remember Dad going to therapy. He just came to us one day and said he needed to be better, but he didn't know how, so he was going to get help. And he _did_ get better. Then when things got bad with Uncle Qrow, and he checked himself into rehab, we were going to therapy again. Ruby and I had a lot of questions, and the therapist helped us understand everything."

"If a therapist just helps you understand things," Weiss grunted, "then why can't friends do that?"

Yang let out a frustrated sound. "It's different. Like, both the therapist and all of you, you support me and don't judge me. But the therapist…. Our therapist was outside all of this and just… _knew_ the questions to ask to help us think about things differently. Weiss, we got your back, but Ruby and I can't do that."

"That doesn't explain why I need therapy."

Yang scowled. "Are you happy? When you're back living with your dad?"

"Yes."

"So you'd go back in a heartbeat."

" _No_."

"Then you're _not_ happy." Yang looked her right in the eyes. "You deserve to be happy."

Suddenly Weiss's emotions were raging all around her again and she could feel her eyes watering. She immediately buried her face into her hands again. "No, I don't," she sobbed. "Mom's had it so hard, Dad works hard all day and puts up with stuff, I just have to be there for them, but I don't _want_ to anymore. I just want to hang out with you guys…. Run around… Eat Professor Ozpin's cookies, or read books with Blake, or _anything_ that involves not going home…. What kind of person does that make me?"

"Human," Yang replied, pulling Weiss into a hug. "And humans need help sometimes."

Weiss just sobbed.

Later, she went to Winter. She ignored her tear-stained cheeks, ignored her pounding headache, and held herself straight. "I wish to go to therapy."

Winter gave a relieved smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True to life moment: the two of us didn't realize we were being abused until our therapist told us That Person was abusive. That's the kind of revelation Weiss is having right now, only instead it's about what therapy is and does. Image can still remember the start of the school year after our Da passed away, and she was walking through the halls and she could sense something wasn't right in her brain. She went to therapy to figure out what was wrong and in the very first session she was told That Person was abusive and we needed to get away was such a weight off our shoulders to realize there was a reason That Person was like that.
> 
> Weiss's story is necessarily different, but the two of us are firmly in the camp that - like Tai says - you learn a lot in therapy, and it's for more than people who are abuse and trauma victims. Everyone in this fic has gone or will go through something beyond the pale, and they have to figure out how to help themselves. Tai shines again in this chapter as a result, he's low-key the healthiest of the bunch with Winter as an almost-second, but all of them have something to give Winter as she starts to plan the war she's about to declare.
> 
> And we get another item on Oz's Year of Hell checklist: Not only was there an accident, but there was fallout from the accident in the form of Hazel Reinhart. Also Qrow does a Good and Oz melts a little more. We also get to do a scene from the show but have it in a completely different context and perspective.
> 
> Next chapter: Honestly, next chapter is a favorite of ours - the Return of Self-Indulgence! OzQrow everywhere!


	12. Chapter 12

" _Argh_! She's with her boyfriend _again_? Are you _kidding_ me?"

Oscar looked up from his book.

Ruby was already offering a sympathetic look to her sister. "Blake is still too busy to FaceTime?"

"Yeah. Apparently she's having difficulty with her parents so she keeps hanging out with the boyfriend."

Weiss didn't look up from where she was lounging in the sun, bathing in the light. "We're here because _I'm_ having trouble with my parents. I at least have Winter to get me out of there. Blake doesn't have anyone to bring her up here."

"What about this boyfriend?" Yang grumbled. "He just graduated high school. Surely he can drive her up and drop her off?"

Oscar tried to refocus on his book to give them privacy. He never felt comfortable when Ruby and her friends talked amongst themselves. They were kind enough to invite him and his Dad up, but he didn't really feel part of the group. He felt more like a tagalong. So he tried to give them their moment.

"That's it," Yang stood up abruptly. "No more sunbathing. We're dunking each other in the water."

" _Yes_!" Ruby cheered, fists pumped into the air. "Team Rose Garden versus Team Freezer Burn!" She pointed at her sister and Weiss. "We lost last time! Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! Justice will be delicious!"

Oscar already had his hands up. He wasn't wearing his wetsuit!

But Ruby was already grabbing his arm. "Come on!" she started dragging him to the water.

"Wait, no, hold on!"

"We will avenge ourselves!"

"I'm not-Hang on! I don't have my wetsuit on!"

Ruby turned to him, silver eyes ablaze. "We will be victorious!"

" _Wetsuit_ , Ruby! I need to put it on-"

"Let's go!"

And suddenly he was dunked in the water and Oscar's hands immediately went to his neck to make sure his button up was still covering him and his bandana was still around his neck. " _Ruby_!" he shouted.

But Ruby was on her sister, trying to get high enough up on her to push her into the water. "Got you!" Weiss shouted from behind him, dunking him under.

He'd barely come up for air, shoving his thick hair out of his eyes when he heard Ruby to his side. "Vengeance!" Then Weiss screamed as she was dunked.

Turning, Oscar wanted to run to the shore and get going to get his _wetsuit_ , thank you, when- "Got ya, farm boy!" Yang dunked him underwater.

He surfaced again, panting. "Would you all just _stop_ and let me-"

"Waaah! Oscar, save me!" Ruby shrieked, grabbing his arm. "Help me get the sunny giant!"

"Hey!"

And Oscar was pulled off balance and underwater again. He came up sputtering again and ignored protesting any more. He just stalked towards the tiny beach.

"Oscar! Come back! We haven't claimed victory!"

"Yeah, come on! Yang and I want to claim victory again!"

Oscar whirled around, angry. "You weren't _listening_ to me!" he shouted. "I _need_ my wetsuit!"

Honestly, this was a fun game; all he needed was to change, was that so much to ask?

But all three girls were staring at him.

He blinked, surprised that they were so quiet.

Then he saw his bandana floating in the water. His hands immediately went for his neck. His _bare_ neck.

He turned and ran back up to the house.

His dad was already on his feet, hobbling forward.

"Wait, Oscar!" Ruby shouted behind him. "We're sorry! Wait up!"

His dad pulled him into a hug and whispered, "I'll keep them busy." Then pushed him to the house.

Oscar ran into the house, face _burning_.

They _saw_.

_No one_ was supposed to see that!

_No one!_

What was he going to do? He ran up to the room he shared with his dad, not caring about the water dripping off of him, and shut the door. Someone called out after him, but he didn't listen. He stripped off his sopping clothes to throw into the hamper, grabbed a towel from the armoire to try and dry himself. Of course, it didn't work since his cheeks were wet no matter what he did, but eventually he gave up and just dressed and wrapped a clean bandana around his neck, double tying the knot so that _it didn't come off again_.

His cheeks were still wet and his tears showed no signs of stopping, so he just sat at the foot of the bed, brought up his knees and buried his face into his arms.

There was a knock at the door.

"Oscar? You okay?"

And now Mr. Qrow. The man who had hurt his dad months ago when something had happened with Yang. Oscar _really_ didn't want to talk to him. His dad may be friends with him again, but Oscar always watched to make sure Mr. Qrow didn't hurt his dad again.

"Go away," he mumbled into his arms.

The door opened and Mr. Qrow came in. "Hey, kid. Your dad is raking my nieces over the coals in his quiet, polite way of not raising his voice."

" _Good_."

Mr. Qrow came over and sat down next to him, long legs stretched out and leaning against the bed.

"What happened?"

Oscar rolled his eyes and dropped his arms and legs. "You're not my dad," he growled, "what do you care? Go _away_!"

But Mr. Qrow looked at him with keen eyes. "They saw your neck, didn't they?"

Fear.

Oscar immediately reached up. His bandana was still in place. There was _no way_ ….

"I saw your dad's neck back when he was in the hospital and I brought you home. You've got that bandana on all the time. Doesn't take a genius to realize you both got the short end of the stick."

_Shit_.

"Oz may never have mentioned the _how_ , but I can take a pretty certain guess on the _who_."

"B-back off!" Oscar shouted. "You don't know _anything_!"

"I know what pain looks like," Mr. Qrow said softly. "I know a guy who's now paralyzed from the waste down. A girl who had half her face burned. If you're worried about scars, I've seen plenty."

"I don't… you're just…"

Mr. Qrow gave a crooked smile. "The girls were _wrong_."

"I… _What_?"

"Oscar, we've been up here for almost two weeks. You always get your wetsuit when you go swimming and you always have a bandana on. You have a boundary. I'm willing to bet those girls didn't recognize the boundary and blew right past it, didn't they?"

Oscar looked away, his voice small. "Yeah…"

Mr. Qrow just kept a kind, crooked smile on his face, and waited.

"It's just…" Oscar sat down again, staring at his hands. "Normal people don't have scars like these. Who has a mom that _does_ that?" The tears were flowing again. "After the accident, when I finally saw my dad, he took one look at my neck and everything changed. I didn't see it at the time, but… I think that's when he started planning the escape. I didn't realize that Dad always had collars or scarves to hide his neck until…." he gestured to his neck. "Around the house it didn't matter. If someone came to the door, he always buttoned up his shirt before answering. I thought that he was just being polite. But…"

"But now you understand on a different level."

Oscar nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "Dad doesn't talk about it. He doesn't have to. But he's an adult. He can always wear scarves or collars or whatever. Kids _ask_. I don't know how…" Oscar rubbed at his tears again. "I don't want people to ask about it," he said quietly. "How do you even explain it?"

"You don't," Qrow said. "You never explain what you don't want to when someone rubs up against those kinds of scars. You don't have to explain why you are the way you are or anything like that." He leaned forward. "I got to a point where I _needed_ to. I was hurt badly by my sister, the hurt didn't stop, and I made a lot of bad choices. I was hurting myself. So I _needed_ to talk about things. But even then I didn't until I was _willing_ to." he shrugged. "My nieces, they know I talk freely about the stuff I've done. They don't know that sometimes… Sometimes people don't want to talk about it and you can't make them till they're ready."

Oscar swallowed the lump in his throat again. Qrow wasn't asking what happened. Qrow was saying it was okay to not talk about it. Qrow… Oscar let out a sigh and just leaned into Qrow. Qrow validated him. His dad always said that validation mattered, made a point of always validating what Oscar was feeling at any moment, that feeling was okay.

"It's okay to be scared of it," Qrow continued. "It's okay to want to hide, as long as you know that someday, you'll have people you won't need to hide from."

"I don't hide from my dad," Oscar muttered.

"Nope. He's made sure you don't need to. But someday, you'll need someone outside of your dad. For now, you're good."

And the tears just started all over again. But this time? They weren't really sad tears.

* * *

The famous Connecticut resident Mark Twain once said about his home, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Anyone who listened to a local weatherman could tell you: the warmer the day got, the more humid it got, the more unstable the atmosphere, the more the chance for showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon. After a week at the Schnee lake house they'd already had two rain showers, and twice they woke up to moist, dewy earth.

Today was no different. Qrow had been watching the kids playing volleyball on the beach - the token adult while everyone else was out as the skies started to darken and the humidity increased. He looked out over the water and saw the clouds rolling in from the west, and moved down to the beach.

"Come on!" he said, waving his hand. "Storms coming in! Better get inside before there's-"

A low roll of thunder reverberated through the air.

"-thunder," he finished.

Ruby gave a small squeak and all but ran to the house, Oscar following suit and Weiss pretending she was totally-fine-and-decided-for-herself-to-go-inside. Yang gave her uncle a smirk, and he answered with his own, and the two moved into the house. Board games were already set up, Ruby stretched out on her stomach and a throw blanket wrapped over her head to duck under when there was thunder. Weiss was assembling the pieces as Yang sat down declaring victory before she even started. Qrow smirked and moved back out to the porch to watch the storm. Thunder and lightning never bothered him, and with the open sky above the lake he could watch without having to see through trees or other rooftops. The sky turned an iron grey, then even darker, casting black shadows over the water as a gust of wind rustled through the treetops. It was beautiful, powerful, and Qrow was content to watch the show.

He heard a car drive up at the front of the house, knew the other adults were back, and watched a flash of white, his eyes constricting to blackness to compensate and then slowly dilate back to being able to see. Some leaves were pulled from their branches, whirling around in the wind and then the rain came - not a gentle soaking shower but _buckets_ of water pounding into the lake and making it choppy, hitting puddles and earth so hard as to bounce back up before falling again in rhythmic satisfaction. For ten minutes he was in heaven.

"Figured you'd be watching the storm," Tai said, coming out to the porch.

"How're the girls?"

"Ruby's okay unless there's a really big crack. Oscar's watching the storm from upstairs."

"Upstairs?" Qrow said, indignant. "He should be right here where he can feel the wind and hear the rain better. Best place to be in a storm."

Tai snorted. "I'll pass it on."

A giant crack of thunder, almost right overhead, rung so loud he heard Ruby and Weiss both scream inside, Tai laughing and reassuring them. Qrow smirked, making a note to tease them later - so much for being _teenagers_ \- and got up to get a can of soda. He moved upstairs to see Oscar, found him in his room, face glued to the window. Curiously, however, he wasn't looking up at the storm, but down. After earlier that ticked a box in his head, and his wry face leveled out to more concern. "You okay pipsqueak?" he asked.

Oscar turned around, and his face wasn't awe or wonder, it was tight with concern, ticking another box.

"My dad," he said, "He wasn't with Miss Winter and Mr. Tai. He went for a walk."

Qrow blinked, realizing what had happened. "You mean he's out in this?" he asked.

Oscar nodded. "Rain makes his leg ache," he said.

"Kid, you should have said something."

"I thought he'd be right back. He said he was going to take a lap around the lake, and that was right after lunch, so he should be almost back and…"

Qrow nodded, reaching out and running his fingers through Oscar's hair. "I get it, kid. Don't worry. I got this."

He went downstairs, saw Winter first, hair down as she worked on her omnipresent laptop. "Hey," he said, "Oz is still out in the storm. Oscar's worried. I'm gonna go looking for him."

Winter looked up. "Professor Ozma's a grown adult," she said, frowning. "He'll be fine."

"You know that, and I know that, but a twelve year old boy doesn't. Can't hurt to make him feel a little better," Qrow said, fishing out an umbrella from a coat closet. "I'll text if there's a catastrophe," he called over his shoulder, waving his phone.

"Enjoy your date!" Yang and Ruby said in unison.

"Only when you start dating that Belladonna kid!" Qrow called right back, smirking when he heard sputtering.

The umbrella opened with a snap and he lifted it overhead - and then nearly perpendicular the gust of wind was so strong. He glanced out over the lake and then up to the window Oscar was. The light was on and he was in silhouette. Qrow pointed: did he go this way? The silhouette moved, and pointed the other way. Qrow gave a thumbs up and moved to the far side of the lake house's beach. He'd walked the local trails already with Tai, if Oz left at lunch and went this way he was on the gravel trail and looped around the lake - it was longer but smoother for his hip. The trail had two major rest stops, one on the edge of the lake and the other further back, up on a slight hill and overlooking the lake. Visibility was too low to tell if he was on the lake one so Qrow had to check both. He pulled into a light jog as another crack of thunder rolled overhead. It was lower in register but still right after a flash, meaning the storm was still on top of them.

Another gust of the wind forced Qrow to hold it at an angle again, but he did note the rain wasn't _quite_ so driving as earlier. The gravel path was little more than puddles and mud, his worn sneakers did little to keep the moisture from seeping into his feet. His shoes occasionally sank into the path and it was work to pull them out - he dreaded what poor Oz's cane looked like with similar treatment.

The further he walked along the path the darker the surrounding woods got - without direct sky above them the dark shadows made it seem almost like nighttime, and Qrow fumbled for a phone to see better lest his luck make him trip into the mud - which of course, just as he had the thought, he did exactly that. Openly cursing now, he got up and shook the mud off and started again. It took ten minutes to hit the first rest stop, the one on the lakefront. No Oz.

"... so much for being almost done with his walk," he muttered, moving further down the path. His umbrella flipped and flapped in the wind, turning inside-out _twice_ , before all of the sudden the rain let up suddenly to light shower. Qrow risked looking up and saw the sky was much brighter. There was another rumble of thunder, much further away than before, and Qrow knew the worst of the storm had passed.

More relaxed now, he continued down the path and slowly curved around the lake as it continued to lighten. The second rest stop was up a small hill, and as he climbed it he thought he caught a glimpse of grey through the trees. He moved closer and saw Oz on the crest of the hill, standing by the bench and holding his phone up, then bringing it down to check, then holding it up again. Qrow shook his head, somehow not surprised the professor was taking pictures.

"You alive over there?" he asked, tilting his umbrella back.

"Ah, Qrow! Quickly, before it disappears!"

Curious, Qrow widened his stride, reaching the bench and moving passed it. A series of planks and boards lay together as a weak platform, makeshift guardrail for the crest of the hill. Oz's cane rested on the guard rail, Oz himself standing with his hip tilted to lean on one leg as he lifted his phone up again to snap a picture. Qrow looked where he was looking - he'd never paid much attention to the rest spot when he walked by with Tai, and blinked as he realized why it was on the hill.

There was a gentle slope down to the lake and no trees, only ferns and low shrubbery, giving a perfect view out to the lake, and the sun broke through the clouds just as he looked, and from the lake rose a humid mist, and in the mist was-

"A rainbow?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes," Ozpin said, lifting his phone up again. "I must have three dozen pictures on my phone, the lightning was extravagant, and I was lucky enough to get one I think…"

"You mean you've been standing here the last half hour, _in the rain_ , under trees, _in a thunderstorm_?"

Oz turned to protest, "I was hardly in any dan-Oh, the trees." He looked up, brown eyes wide and turning almost gold as the sun continued to peak out. "I hadn't realized, there were hardly any trees in… oh, dear. That was rather foolish, wasn't it?"

He looked to Qrow, and he was completely soaked through, hair falling in white-grey clumps and strings about his head, eyes wide and face round, streaks of water shining on his cheeks. He was freakin' _beautiful_ and Qrow felt the urge to-he coughed and looked back out over the lake. "Yeah," he said, voice rough. "Oscar was worried, said your leg hurt in the rain."

"Yes, it does," Oz said. "I can hardly put weight on it right now. I thought so long as I was immobile…"

"I get it," Qrow said, still not looking at the professor. "I came out to see if you were still alive."

"Of course. I'll text Oscar now that I'm on my way back." He navigated his phone quickly as Qrow tamped down on his libido as hard as he could. _Straight_ , he reminded himself, the man was freaking _straight_. He looked out over the lake, over at the rainbow. Symbol of Pride. Fuck.

Oz finished his text and slipped his phone into a pocket, bracing himself on the railing of the rest spot and gripping his cane. He looked out over the lake one last time, a wistful smile on his face. "The rainbow," he said, "isn't that your flag?"

"Nah," Qrow said, still putting himself together. "Bi-disaster, not a gay-disaster. My colors are pink, blue, and purple. Blue and pink for the guys and girls, purple for loving them both."

"Clever and appropriate," Oz said, tapping his cane and taking a breath. He took a step, moved his bad leg, and tried to put weight on it. The limp was so cartoonishly big Qrow thought he would fall over. Only noise he made was a tiny hum, which in Oz-Speak must have meant the pain was excruciating. Qrow bit his lip, mustered his courage, closed his umbrella to the lingering raindrops, and stepped forward, offering his shoulder.

"Here," he said.

Oz looked for a long moment, his mouth a small pout ( _mind out of the gutter, Qrow_ ) and looped his arm around Qrow's shoulders. He shifted his leg, angling it forward, and tried to walk. It was awkward by several degrees, Oz was almost too tall for Qrow, but they were able to work out a half-hopping, half-swinging gate.

"Your kid's probably going to kill you," he said, eying the path for more puddles.

"I shall endeavor to take my chastisement with grace," Oz said brightly. "I hadn't even realized… I used to go for walks and bike rides all the time in California. After the accident - worse, after moving here - I hardly get the chance any more. Beacon is a small campus and now I have to drive home and pick up Oscar so I don't have the time. I finally get the chance and utterly forget my own safety."

"I'm surprised you're still doing an hour drive," Qrow said. "You could move closer to campus." Not that Qrow would want that, of course, he'd much rather- _god_ what was _wrong_ with him?

"In all honesty, I would have preferred an even _longer_ drive," Oz said, limping along.

What? "Why?"

Oz threw a look to Qrow, far different than the awe at the rest stop, narrower, more closed off. Then he sighed and looked away, out over the lake. "To keep Oscar safe," he said.

"... Gonna have to explain that one, professor."

Silence was his answer, and it stayed that way until they got back to the lake house. The sun was fully out by then, and Qrow had avoided (most) of the puddles on the gravel path. Oscar was pacing the porch and ran over as soon as he saw them. "You're soaked through!"

"Guilty as charged," Oz said graciously. "I've come to accept my punishment."

"... come on. Your leg must be really stiff. I'll get a hot bath going."

"Thank you."

"Uncle Qrow! You're both soaked!"

"If Professor Ozpin needs a hot bath, do you need a cold shower?"

"Keep talking, firecracker," Qrow droned, "And you'll be flying up into the sky to explode. Now are you gonna help the professor into the house?"

"I got it!" Ruby said brightly.

"You do _not_ , you're like half his size!"

"Then help me, Weiss."

"Oh, do I see another date?"

" _Yang!_ "

Qrow lingered on the porch, pulling his muddy shoes off and tugging at his drenched shirt. Tai came out after a few minutes. "You okay?" he asked.

Qrow gave Tai a very, _very_ long look, silently demanding that he tell _no one_ of what he was about to speak. Tai's eyebrows raised, but he leaned in closer and offered an ear. "You were right," Qrow muttered in the smallest of voices. "And I need a cold shower."

The eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, and he quickly covered his mouth to hide his laugh, and Qrow was going to _kill him where he stood_ , but Tai composed himself and only smiled, giving a soft nod. "Okay," he said. "Okay. Do you need to talk about it?"

" _No,_ " he said emphatically. This was followed several seconds later with an inaudible, "... yes…"

Tai nodded again. "See me when you're done."

* * *

While Oscar may have been elated to start life as an eighth grader, Ozpin spent his day in a curious melancholy. He was happy for his son, of course, bittersweet over how fast he was growing, glad that he was continuing to grow out of the shell he had constructed for himself - all of those things. But it also meant the Xiao Long family was in high school, and he was uncertain if Qrow was still picking up his nieces or not - regardless, that meant they did not have ten minutes to talk while waiting for the school day to end. It was perhaps selfish, but he had enjoyed the time he'd spent with Qrow. The man was darkly witty; cynical and pragmatic; _enviously_ honest about the growth he had brought upon himself; and kind in a gruff, abrasive, capricious sort of way. He lived to the beat of his own drum even after everything that happened to him, sunning himself on the roof of his car, languishing in a chair or couch, lazily offering dry sarcasm in a way that was deeply entertaining.

To know he was in all probability now at the Xiao Long residence, tending to his nieces and their friends, possibly catching sleep before his shift started, while Ozpin drove to the middle school, caused a pang in his heart he was unfamiliar with. He hadn't had such a good friend in years - since high school himself. After the wedding his world had shrunk immeasurably and he was only just now remembering how large it was.

And now it would be that much smaller without Qrow.

He sighed again, his bad leg aching and desperate for movement lest it seize up. The hour drive was brutal, holding his leg in one position for so long, but it was a small price to pay to hide where Oscar was. He reminded himself of that as he pulled into the middle school and circled around to the handic-

What?

_Qrow?_

But there he was, stretched out on the hood of his car like some kind of bird, sunning himself in the hot August air as Oz parked his sedan. He maneuvered out of his car and moved to the passenger side, staring in disbelief.

"Hey," Qrow said, "Right on time."

What was… why was… "What are you doing here?" Ozpin asked. "Was someone held back?"

"Nope," Qrow said, stretching into a sitting position. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

Yes… but… _why?_ "Forgive me," Oz said, "But you seem to have me at a slight disadvantage."

Qrow's red eyes darted over Ozpin, and then a confident smirk as he pulled out his phone. "I owe Tai money for this but I don't mind paying," he said, snapping a picture. "Last week the girls tried to tell us they were old enough to walk home by themselves. We laughed in their faces and they tried to revolt, so we compromised. It's a forty-five minute walk from the high school to here, so they get to practice their independence and then get here just in time for the middle school to get out. If they're late they catch hell from us, but if they prove themselves they earn the right to walk to each other's houses on weekends. Tai said you'd be shocked off your rocker, and he was right." He tapped on his phone, presumably a text, and put his phone away. "Besides, the girls think we're dating or something, so it keeps the fantasy alive."

Ozpin blinked again. "... They're still on about it?"

Qrow blinked back. "You didn't know?" Qrow laughed again. "Now Clover owes _me_ money," he said brightly. "He thinks you were playing hard to get."

"Your sponsor? Have I even met him?"

"Not yet, but you will if you come to the cookout on Labor Day this weekend. It'll add fuel to the girls shipping us."

Oz felt like he was still trying to catch up. "Forgive me," he said, knowing he sounded distinctly… _unprofessorial_ , "but do you mean to tell me there is some kind of betting pool on… on my love life?"

"Give or take," Qrow said, tapping at his phone. "Nobody seems to realize you're straight even though you have a son."

Ozpin was indignant. "But I'm not…!" He caught himself.

"You're not into it, I know," Qrow said, still absorbed in his phone, tapping away at a game not not meeting his eyes.

"No," Oz said, pinching a brow. "That's not what I meant. You misunderstand. Relationships… romantic relationships are not something that comes naturally to me."

Finally, Qrow's eyes flicked to him, the fastest of darts before turning back to his phone. He had stopped playing his game. "You were married young right? It takes a while to get back on the horse again, and after what that bitch did anyone would be a little gun shy. No one's blaming you, it's just a kids game, a fantasy they like to play in. It's fine."

"Oh for heaven's…," Oz said, rolling eyes up to the sky and then pinching his brow again. "I don't like talking about it because she assumed I was just lying, trying to weasel out of meeting her needs, but those impulses have never… I didn't even know what letter I was until after…" He huffed a sigh, moving from the bridge of his nose to his temples. "I almost told you once," he said, looking down at his shoes. "You were texting, trying to distract yourself, but I lost my nerve and… Talking about this is very uncomfortable."

Silence. Oz was bright red now, struggling to articulate something he had never said out loud - even to Oscar. He shifted his weight, leaning back on the door of his car. He was too afraid to look, to see the confusion or disbelief or accusation.

"Oz."

He looked to the school, wondering when the bell would ring.

"Oz, I'm not going anywhere. Bi-disaster, remember? I had to figure it all out myself, too."

Ozpin took a deep breath through his nose, settling for looking at Qrow's shoulder. "Teenagers," he said, "they all receive that awkward talk about puberty, about having hormonal urges when looking at people they are attracted to. That urge only hit me twice in my life. My wedding day, and later when we conceived Oscar. I pleased my wife many times, but it was never something that was an 'urge.'" He looked down again at his feet. "I thought I was a failure, that there was something wrong with me. She said…"

Shoes appeared in front of his, and a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. " _Never_ listen to her," Qrow said, his voice rough. " _Never_ give that bitch any say in what you are. So _you_ tell _me_. What letter are you?"

"... D," he said, embarrassed that his voice sounded so small. "Insofar as I can tell I am a demisexual."

"Then okay."

Oz dared to look up, and Qrow's red eyes were intense, but not the kind of intense Salem's eyes got when he tried to explain he was never in "the mood." It was the kind of earnest acceptance Qrow took when he was talking about his recovery, or when he talked about wondering when Yang would figure out what she was. Gravitas, that was the word; he was accepting Ozpin's admission with gravitas.

The acceptance was dizzying, he felt so light so suddenly he almost wondered if he would fall over. He didn't know what to do with himself, just stared at Qrow, drinking in the acceptance over and over again. What had he ever done to deserve this…? All he could offer was gratitude:

"... thank you," he said, a little surprised his voice was so shaky.

Qrow smirked again. "First time admitting it?" he asked.

"Yes… yes, I suppose so." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "After we left, there was a period after we settled here that I felt the need to research every claim she had ever said. Looking for objectivity, I suppose. I know I'm not completely ace, I've experienced that drive twice before, as I've said. I don't think I'm gray because both times were with her, but I could be mistaken. I am not repulsed, I'm confident I am romantic. On the heteronormative scale… I've no idea."

"So you don't know if you're straight or gay or somewhere in between?"

"I can recognize attractive people of both genders," Ozpin admitted, "but at present I don't know what that means in terms of me."

Qrow shrugged. "And that's okay, too," he said. "You don't have to have it all figured out all at once."

"Qrow, I'm over _forty_."

"So?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "You think I have my shit figured out yet? Do any of us?"

"But I…"

"It takes as long as it takes," Qrow said, shrugging his shoulders again. "None of us are gonna get scared off by it."

The bell rang, and Qrow's eyes snapped to the students as they poured out of the building. "You come out to Oscar yet?"

"No," Ozpin said. "I've no idea how to even give him the talk let alone what I am…"

"Smile, Oz, before he thinks I'm mad at you again."

Oz blinked. "What? Why on earth would he think-?"

"Hey, Dad!" Oscar slid forward for a hug, and hazel eyes were thrown at Qrow. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Ozpin said, leaning down. "More than okay. Qrow and I have had a very enlightening conversation."

"Okay…" he said, still eying the both of them.

"See! I told you they'd be together!"

"Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow had to dodge his nieces before they buried him, Blake trailing after them in a huff, and just like that everything was exactly as it should be, and Oz felt a rush of happiness flood him.

"Were you enjoying your date?"

"Keep talking, firecracker," Qrow said, running a hand through her blond head. "He and I were just talking about my coming out story."

"You're what?"

"My coming out story. You want to talk Bi-Disaster energy? Let me tell you about the time I came out to Tai - who, I might add, is so stick straight there was nothing left of his ass to fill."

"Ew, _Uncle Qrow!_ That's our _dad_ you're talking about!"

"Exactly. So straight he had no idea I was hitting on him in college…"

"Oh, my _god_ I am not hearing this story."

"There may have been a corset and thong involved, but at least it wasn't on my part. I might still have the pictures, Summer took them because we were both too drunk to keep a steady hand and…"

" _There is no version of this I want to hear!_ "

Ozpin outright laughed, lighter than he'd felt in years. He ran his hands through Oscar's hair. They talked and laughed until long after the buses had left, Qrow distracting the kids and giving Oz a chance to come to terms with the entire tenor of the conversation.

"Dad," Oscar asked quietly. "Are you really okay?"

"Yes," he said. "Qrow has proven to be the best of friends, and there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay, Oz," Qrow said, car door open and filling it with girls, "your place or mine?"

"Yours," he said smoothly. "Oscar and I need to have a talk on the way. We might stop off for ice cream."

"Take your time. It'll give me a chance to hear all the girly stuff high school girls talk about. I'm sure it's all about lip gloss and make up and cute girls and whatever stupid stuff silly girls talk about."

"Uncle Qrow, just for that, I want you to know we're going to make you _suffer_."

Qrow made a show of gulping in worry, cartoonishly mouthing the words, "save me," to Oz as they all piled into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeee! We finally have one of our big reveals! Aaaah, we've been waiting on this one for quite a while.
> 
> First things first: Oscar gets a small blip of development around Qrow. The two of them have a lot further to go but Oscar no longer has open animosity, because Qrow has demonstrated that he can be soft when he needs to, something Oscar up to now wasn't sure existed. Then Qrow finally realizes Yes, Dammit, He has a thing for Oz. Tai continues to be greatest supporting character because he just accepts Qrow's confession without any mirth or teasing (for now). And Qrow is still self-defeatist because he assumes that Oz is straight for being married and having a son. Let the pining begin!
> 
> Oz being on the Asexual spectrum is an idea we've been toying with baaaaasically since the inception of the fic, there's a lot of misconceptions about being Ace and while we're not going to go out of our way to make Oz's sexuality a big plot point, it does play a role in his life - especially with Salem - and would affect his relationship with Qrow so it will get brought up on occasion.
> 
> We were researching as we went about demi's and tried to incorporate it as we could; as the fic stands we don't want to call it a completely correct representation (final say goes to anyone who reads this who is demi), but we did try. We mitigate it because Oz doesn't have himself completely figured out yet - he's been repressed for years and has only recently, since his Year of Hell, realized there was even a word for someone like him. But then there's Qrow - who is basically out and proud and recognizes how big something like this is - not only coming out for the first time, but coming out after a marriage of gaslighting and denial of what Oz was - Qrow knows how important acceptance is and gives it to him in spades. If ever there was a moment when Oz truly melts, it's here.
> 
> Also: Oz lonely at the prospect of picking up Oscar without Qrow? Aw, he has it bad...
> 
> Next chapter: Labour Day cookout: we finally shelf the Weiss drama for a little bit and start to spin the Blake drama. Also Clover walks in to steal all the scenes.


	13. Chapter 13

Qrow had been forced to do a little reading after Oz had come out to him - he'd heard of demis before but didn't know all of the terminology Oz had thrown around as he tried to describe himself - and there were something like three different spectrums to measure against: Romantic to aromantic, replused to horny-as-fuck, and the LGBT spectrum - which of _course_ was the one he wasn't sure where he stood. Just Qrow's luck.

But at the same time, _Qrow_ had been the first person Oz had ever come out to, and that sparked something warm in his belly that made him smile. He remembered when he'd come out to Raven, still under their parent's thumb and still trying to get an edge in life. She'd taken it so casually, said sure whatever, what do you want me to do about it - and the casualness of it impressed him. When he realized what Oz was saying, he'd made sure he was as casually accepting as he could be.

The internet said erasure was a thing for people on the ace spectrum, same as bi's, and that made Qrow silently swear to himself that he would _kill that bitch_ if he ever talked about there being something wrong with him. That was another thing he had gone through, this time in college, and had led to two different fights before Tai and Summer told him it didn't matter because _they_ believed him. To live with someone for years who said there was something wrong with you… Fuck he hated that woman and he hadn't even _met_ her.

Tai, of course, knew something was up, but Qrow respected Oz not yet being comfortable with being out, and kept it to himself as they prepped for the cookout. Instead he bought buns for both hot dogs and burgers, extra ketchup, and two twelve-packs of soda for the cooler.

Labor Day dawned hot and muggy, and Qrow helped wrangle his nieces that morning. The volleyball net was still up and the girls knew this was their last day with it.

"Greetings!" came a call when Tai was pulling out the charcoal.

Qrow couldn't help but smile. Of _course_ Oz came early. "Hey Oz," he waved a hand in greeting.

Oz came over smiling while Oscar immediately went to the picnic table to start organizing it. "I hope neither of you mind, but it occured to me that a grill is similar to an oven. I made some pizza dough last night and brought the various accoutrements. Perhaps we can make a proper pie?"

Qrow and Tai glanced at each other. Tai immediately smiled. "I think I've got a pizza stone somewhere in the house. Ruby! Come here, we need to find something!"

"Coming, Dad!"

They disappeared, and with Yang on her phone texting someone, Qrow had a small amount of privacy with Oz. "Meant to ask earlier, but the girls are a handful. How'd 'the talk' go with Oscar?"

"About as expected," Oz said, a soft smile on his lips. "He had a lot of questions, and I, only a few answers, but he said it was good to know that having a partner didn't have to be a priority in someone's life."

Qrow smirked. "Sounds like he takes after his dad," he said.

Oz smiled softly again, leaning on his cane. "I can only hope he turns out better than I did. I didn't realize how… light I would feel, saying it out loud."

Qrow smiled. "Self-acceptance, right? A little goes a long way. Explains why you're always half a step behind in the innuendo department. I should warn you, though, Clover's coming and half of what he says is innuendo."

"Then thank you kindly for the warning," Oz said. "Who else is coming?"

"The Belladonnas," Qrow said. "Have you met them yet? We've only seen them, like, twice."

"They were the ones who greeted us when we came home from the lake house, right? Young Miss Blake holding a sign saying, 'welcome home.' I remember the stark height difference."

"Okay, so you've met. We got them, Clover, you and Oscar, the four of us. The Schnees said no for obvious reasons."

"How unfortunate. How are things going for them?"

"Ruby and Yang are better informed than me, you'd have to ask them. They say Weiss is a lot happier though, and after the election she might have some breathing room."

"Election?"

"Geez, professor, don't you watch TV?"

"Not overly, I spent the summer writing papers and being harrassed by my department head."

Qrow rubbed his face. "Schnee put his name in the hat for the city elections. I'm pretty sure it'll be my first time voting since college and it'll be for whoever the other guy is."

Ozpin sniffed. "What kind of platform is he running? Who's his opponent?"

"Do I hear talk of politics? Why, Blake made it sound as though everyone here would be completely apolitical."

Qrow and Oz turned to see a _giant_ of a man in denim and a tiny woman beside him: Ghira and Kali Belladonna had arrived. Qrow leaned to the side, saw Blake in a t-shirt about two sizes too small with a thin line of her midrift showing, skinny jeans, and - were those heels? - adolescence looked like it had probably hit, but she was moving immediately to sit with Yang, and Qrow held in a grin.

"Not political," Qrow said to Ghria, "Unless cynicism is a party I can join. I just hate Jacques Schnee."

"Qrow, be polite," Oz admonished. "Forgive my friend, he is sometimes refreshingly without tact. It would be more accurate to say that what we know of Mr. Schnee leads us to believe his leadership would leave the community somewhat wanting. Professor Ozpin Ozma."

"Oh," Ghira said, offering a hand. "One of your essays is in a book we have: _Treaties on Social Movements Through Studies of Humanities_."

"It is?" Oz said, reaching out to shake hands. "I hadn't realized. I don't overly pay attention to where my work goes after its initial publication in the periodicals. That's for the campus publisher. I'm curious now, which piece?"

"Don't ask, or he'll go to the car and bring out the entire book, and that doesn't include the _Philosophy of Trauma_ , either. Or some of the other papers you're written," the tiny woman, Kali Belladonna said. "We're not here for work and Blake made us swear up and down that we wouldn't talk politics and embarrass her."

"Then we'll leave the elections on the shelf once we all agree that Jacques Schnee is a jackass and a bastard," Qrow said, reaching into the cooler for a can of soda and popping it open.

"The more we learn about him the more we're inclined to agree," Ghira said. "We brought salad, fruit bowls, cheese boards, and some fish for Blake to eat. We're pescatarians."

"Uh-oh," Qrow said, "Better check to see if Tai has any veggie versions of burgers and dogs." He shook Ghira's hand and moved back into the house. "Hey Tai! Did you know we got some vegetarians here?"

Tai was in the kitchen, making burger patties and looking up in slow-dawning, wide-eyed horror. "What?" he asked.

"The Belladonnas, they're vegetarians."

" _What?_ " Tai asked, face whipping to Ruby. "Did you know?"

"Yeah," Ruby said brightly. "They're vegan, no animal products at all, except for Blake who didn't want to give up fish. Why?"

Tai bit out a curse and started washing his hands. "I have to go to the store," he said quickly. "Qrow, keep making patties. Why don't people tell me these things!"

"It's your big-dad energy!" Qrow called after him, smirking. "You here to supervise, pipsqueak? Or are you gonna help?"

Ruby moved to the counter and they started making patties, Ruby mushing her hands through the ground meat and Qrow measuring the spices and pouring them in. Until the salt shaker broke open and the entire thing fell into the bowl. Cursing he fished it out and put it in the sink, Ruby giggling. They finished the patties and brought them out. Qrow knew better than to touch the grill - he would set the house on fire with his luck, but he watched Ruby run off to the net to join her sister and friends. Oz was in the wicker chair, cardboard "for the professor" sign at his feet. Ghira and Kali were sitting across from him on the bench, and Qrow pulled out some water bottles to offer them. Kali shook her head, holding up an aluminum water bottle.

"Sorry," she said, "we're trying to go zero waste, too."

"So you make a lot of decisions based on ethics, then," Ozpin was saying as Qrow sat down.

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it. On paper we're community organizers - but we try to be so much more than that. If we're going to have any voice as a part of the community then we have to lead by example. That's why we're so keen on the environment - we don't want Blake or any other children to live in a world that can no longer sustain them. We don't want them to have to struggle for health care like we did, or have equal rights like so many people don't."

"Politics, dear," Kali said, sipping her water. "It also works out that being vegan is generally healthier for you, and some of the zero waste swaps we've made have been amazing. If any of us had the faintest clue how to keep plants alive we'd save so much money by having our own garden."

"Better talk to Oscar then," Qrow said, jutting his chin over to the boy, sitting in the shade with a book. "He keeps a garden in the back of Oz's house and it's a thing to behold."

"Really?" Kali asked, looking over. "Oh, he looks just like his father with that ascot. You must be so proud of him."

"Prouder every day," Ozpin said, smiling brightly. "And he very firmly informs me that it's a gardening scarf. He can and will correct everyone."

"Oh, that's adorable. How old is he?"

"Thirteen October first. He has emphatically told me that he will be a teenager, and to treat him accordingly."

The adults all laughed.

"I wonder if he realizes just what he's asking," Qrow said, leaning back and hooking an ankle over a knee. "Bitter sarcasm and flat 'no's, simple facts in the face of hormonal drama, ear breaking screaming matches, or rolling the eyes and the idiocy of kids."

"Don't we know about the screaming matches," Ghira said, knocking his head back as he laughed. "The things Blake has done since turning thirteen!"

"Careful dear, any louder and she'll start demanding to know what you're talking about," Kali said, sipping her water. "What about your girls, Mr. Qrow?"

"Only kids call me Mr. Qrow, and I'm the uncle, not the dad. Tai's out getting veggie burgers for you." He sipped from his can, feeling the carbonation bubble down. Not the same as a burn, but it felt good. "They're little angels compared to Tai and me - especially me. They have good heads on their shoulders and good hearts to boot. Only thing I'm worried about is how long it'll take Yang to figure out she's as gay as I am bi. She's crushing on Blake pretty bad, and she hates the boyfriend without even seeing him."

"Wait," Kali said, suddenly leaning forward. "My daughter has a boyfriend?"

Qrow blinked, eyes flicking to Oz, but his eyes were wide, too. "You… didn't know?" Qrow asked.

"No," Kali said, her voice low as she looked over at her daughter. "She spends every day staring at that darn phone of hers, when we take it away she runs off for hours, and when we ask where she's been she lies and says she was with you - which I know isn't true because you two always call to say she's there. She barely said two words all summer, and we can't understand _why_. If she has a boyfriend…"

"That would explain so much…" Ghira said. "Her attitude, her mannerisms, her _clothes_."

"Clothes?" Ozpin asked, turning slightly to have a look. "She seems fine now."

"Oh, you've no idea," Kali said, leaning back on the bench and crossing her feet at the ankles. "She came down in those jeans and one of her bikini tops - we almost didn't come the fight was so bad. Ghira nearly punched a wall he was so mad - it took the entire drive to cool down."

"Kali, they don't need to know that," Ghira muttered, face red.

"It's been terrible, we're at our wits end," Kali continued, pressing a hand to her breastbone. "I knew teenage years were supposed to be difficult but this!"

"Sounds to me like she's spending her spare time with her boyfriend," Qrow said. "I take it you haven't seen him."

"Not to our knowledge. Do _you_ know anything about him?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ozpin said, placing his chin on his cane. "Oscar hasn't yet awoken to matters of the heart yet. Such observations tend to go over his head - which at this age, it should."

"Girls might have seen him," Qrow said, running a hand over his stubble. "Hey Ruby!"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby darted away from the party and ran up, side hugging his shoulders and nearly knocking him over - again. "What's up?"

"The adults were reminiscing over our adolescence," Qrow answered easily, "talking about all our first crushes. We were curious, how many of you girls had crushes or boyfriends yet?"

"Well," Ruby said. "Yang always wants to spend time with Blake, does that count?"

"Sure," Qrow said. "Is Blake into her?"

"No, she's all about her boyfriend."

"Pfft," Qrow scoffed, waving his hand. "I call bull. Never had a boy over except Oscar. Pics or it didn't happen, that's what the kids say, right?"

"Ouch, that actually hurt to hear you say that," Ruby said, wincing. "But he does exist. They text all the time."

"That's cute, do they hang out at their lockers or something?"

"No, not really. He graduated last year."

All of the adults straightened. " _What?_ "

Ruby took a step back, realizing she'd fallen for a trick. "Uh-oh…" she muttered.

" _Blake Belladonna!_ " Ghira said, standing to his full height.

Kali grabbed her husband's arm. " _Dear_ , not at a _cookout_!"

Blake came over, face sullen. " _What_?" she demanded.

"What's this we hear-" Ghira was suddenly cut off by his wife.

"About you having a boyfriend? How sweet! I remember my first crush back when I was your age…"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Really? You bellowed and you want to ask about old news?" She offered a dark look to Ruby. "I don't want to talk about it." Then she turned and stalked away.

"Eheheheh…" Ruby rubbed at the back of her head. "Um…." she quickly ran back to the other teens. "Team Rose Garden versus team Bumblebee!"

"You're going down," Blake replied firmly.

"Ehehe, I was expecting that….."

Ghira sat down, fuming.

Kali leaned forward, whispering in his ear to help him calm down.

"Hey!" came a voice from the front of the house. "Look who I found in the driveway!"

"We're in back, Clover!" Qrow called, getting up and moving around to the corner of the house. With Clover was Tai, still cursing over having to go out to the store as he brought in two cloth bags of groceries. Qrow and Clover clapped hands together and gave each other a one-armed hug. "Glad you could make it."

"Almost didn't," Clover said. "Harriet was all worked up over something and Marrow was this close to making her hit someone."

"I can only imagine," Qrow said, leading him back around the corner. "What'd you bring?"

"Beer."

"Ha, ha. What'd you _actually_ bring?"

"My cute little ass."

"Ha, ha, again."

"Pie: apple and blueberry, whipped cream - that you may _not_ use for ulterior motives - and some ice cream - that you _also_ may not use for ulterior motives."

"You're a real riot, anyone ever tell you that?"

"That's why you love me."

"Why I hate you, more like," Qrow said, smiling. Tai was already at the grill taking the patties and new veggie burgers and putting them on. The girls were all clustered by the net under the shade of a tree, talking, while Oscar was nose deep in a book. Over at the picnic bench with the adults he saw Oz watching his son fondly as Kali kept talking to Ghira. "Lady and gentlemen," he said, "This is Clover Ebi."

Ghira looked up, still sour, but put on a better face and stood with his wife. "Hello," he said brightly. "Ghira Belladonna. This is my wife Kali."

"A pleasure," Clover said, all smooth charm.

"Professor Ozpin Ozma," Oz said, finally working his way to his feet, reaching out a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Qrow's said a lot about you."

"And I promise not one word of it is true," Clover said brightly. "He's said a lot about you, too, professor. But apparently not enough."

Oz smiled, uncertain what to say, and his eyes flicked to Qrow in askance. "I don't believe Qrow is particularly secretive, so you have me at a slight disadvantage."

Clover smiled his "this is going to be _fun_ " smile and Qrow felt an immediate urge to groan.

"Oh, you misunderstand, professor. He just failed to mention what a tall glass of water you are."

Oz turned bright red, blinking rapidly and Qrow grabbed his sponsor's shoulder. "Play nice," he warned, "Or I use the whipped cream on _you_ , and not in the fun way."

Clover smirked. "Define 'fun,'" he said brightly, sitting in the chair Qrow had vacated - the one next to Oz. "Shouldn't you be helping your brother-in-law? Don't worry, I'll keep everyone here entertained."

"I immediately regret inviting you," Qrow muttered.

"No you don't!" Clover called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Tell me about yourself, professor," Ebi said, and Oz watched the man lean back in his chair with such an air of confidence he wasn't quite sure how to react.

"If you've talked to Qrow you likely know there isn't much to tell," Ozpin said, fingering his cane. "We moved here from the west coast around four years ago, I'm a professor of philosophy at Beacon, and we met in the school parking lot. We're good friends."

"Friends," Ebi said, a sly quirk to his lips. His eyes darted over Oz again, and he was still fighting off the last blush. "Gotta say, professor, Qrow doesn't have that many friends - and those he does have are usually because he failed at trying to date them."

Oz blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"First was Summer, then Tai, and then there was me, and this isn't including the flings he had in college or during his rough patch. That's his pattern, you know."

Oz shook his head. "Well, then it appears I'm the exception that proves the rule. He has made no untoward advances."

"Yeah," Ebi said, "That's the part I don't get." He hooked a well muscled arm over the back of his seat, and Oz noticed a pin on his shirt - a four leaf clover. "He only gets the message when he comes on strong enough to get a hard 'no.' I'm curious what makes you different."

"There seems to be an assumption there," Oz said after a moment's thought. "You are presupposing that he is at all romantically interested, and as I've already stated, he has made no such advances. He has said prior experience - from his rough patch, as you've described - has made romantic relationships meaningless to him, and none of us here are teenagers. History has proven that carnal drives fade over time."

Ebi tilted his head back and laughed. "Carnal drives!" he repeated. "This keeps getting better and better!"

Oz frowned, shifting his weight. "Am I under interrogation?" he asked.

"No, no, professor," Ebi said, waving a hand. "Nothing like that. We're all a little protective of Qrow over the years, and more often than not he's the cause of his own problems. It's good to see him making some mature decisions. Although I have to admit, if you swing my way I would _love_ to have an extended conversation about 'carnal drives.'"

Oz sensed the innuendo but it took him several seconds to put it together, and he turned bright red all over again. Mrs. Belladonna laughed, a small hand covering her mouth. "Mr. Ebi," she said, "so forward!"

"Clover, ma'am," Ebi said. "But rest assured, your husband isn't my type."

Mrs. Belladonna laughed again, and Mr. Belladonna finally looked up from his dark glower. "What?" he asked, and Mrs. Belladonna laughed again.

"What do you do, Clover?" Kali asked.

"A lot of things," Ebi replied. "Counseling, social work, I'm also an AA sponsor. I like helping people."

"Oh!" Ghira said. "Thank you for all your service. You never get enough credit for what you do and the world barely knows you even exist."

"And those that do think we're simpering milk sops," Clover said brightly. "But they're not the people whose opinions matter. I have a folder full of personal letters from clients thanking me for how I've helped them - that means more than any elected official's lip service, positive or negative."

"So true, not enough people practice gratitude these days. Validation is so important, but that requires empathy and-"

"Careful, honey," Kali said, "Or you'll start quoting that book in the car - or worse, Professor Ozma's essay in it."

* * *

Tai was at the grill, starting to set things out for dinner. It had been a lively cookout so far, especially when Yang pulled out the hose to "cleanse Ruby" from whatever sin she had committed against Blake, which had led to Blake grabbing the volleyball to throw to Ruby as well. Until it had drenched Ozpin and Oscar roared (and laughed) as he went after the hose, wrestled it away, and sprayed all the girls. Of course, since Ozpin had been soaked, Qrow got involved, and things had devolved quickly and gotten muddy.

Qrow had dragged himself into the house for a shower and a fresh change of clothes, with vows of not getting involved in childish shenanigans. But with the sun setting, the energy levels were setting as well. The children were gathered around the volleyball net, trying to figure out how to put it away neatly so that it wouldn't have to be detangled next summer. The Belladonas were watching, talking quietly together with Ozpin, who was still in damp clothes.

(The Belladonnas had said they wouldn't mind if he stripped off his shirt given the drenching and muggy heat, but Ozpin had politely declined.)

Tai was grilling up some veggie burgers when Clover came over.

"Hey, Tai."

"Clover," Tai greeted. He jutted his head to where Qrow was standing by Ozpin, chuckling at something that was said. "So, now that you've met him, what do you think?"

"Very academic," the redhead replied. "I never would have seen our bumbling, rough and tumble bird fall for a quiet, studious professor. I would have wagered a bodybuilder. He likes curves, and our dear philosopher is a stick."

Tai nodded. "I don't think he started attracted. I suspect it grew over time."

"Probably better for Qrow that way," Clover nodded. "Start with friendship, then build. Not just falling in love. That hasn't worked for him." Clover gave a wry grin. "I did make for a good practice run."

Tai winced. "Please don't remind me of that disaster. Hearing about it once was enough."

Clover chuckled. "But that's not why you're asking for my thoughts."

The blonde nodded. "I can't tell if Ozpin is interested in Qrow or not."

"Yeah."

Tai flipped the veggie burger then switched spatulas to flip a regular burger. "I think it's pretty clear he's close to Qrow."

"Oh yeah. See how he always asks Qrow a question, or looks to him?"

"And it's pretty clear that Qrow is interested."

"Hangs on his every word, small little touches."

"But Oz….."

"... Yeah."

Qrow nodded at something Oz said and wandered over to the grill. "Hey. Oz was wondering about the pizza dough he brought over."

"Crap. Right! Sorry! The vegan thing got me all turned around." Tai switched things around by the grill and started to prep for when he pulled the burgers off.

Clover immediately leaned right in, wrapping a large arm around Qrow's shoulders. "Why Qrow," he said lightly. "I don't believe I've once seen you make a move on Oz. And he _is_ a dish. I never would have seen him as your type. Long sleeves on a day this muggy? Ascot? It's like he's modeling for a magazine."

Tai's brother (in-law) rolled his eyes. "You two know he's got scars. He's making sure the Belladonnas don't see them."

That actually made Tai still. "Really? That says something. He didn't have a problem letting us see back on Memorial Day."

Qrow offered a flat look. "Last I checked, he's hung out with us for almost a year. I already knew the low-down on the physical damage."

Tai and Clover shared a Look.

Clover ran a hair through Qrow's hair. "You aren't that oblivious. It's because he's comfortable around _you_. He's got a thing for you, same as you've got a thing or him."

Qrow slumped forward. "You're kidding, right? Interrogating him wasn't enough, now you gotta interrogate me?"

"Someone has to look out for you, brother," Tai smiled blandly. He'd finished greasing down the grill and started to stretch out the pizza dough. "Ozpin has been good for you, and we want you to be happy."

A frown flashed across Qrow's face. "I doubt he'll look at me that way."

Tai blinked, wondering where the hell that had come from.

Clover, however, smiled widely and leaned forward. "Why Qrow! This is the first time you haven't proclaimed how straight he is, that he has a son so he must be straighter than a laser. Tell me, is the professor bi?"

Qrow scowled at them. "Oz won't be interested that way."

"And what do you mean 'that way,' hmmm?" Clover poked at Qrow's cheek.

Tai's brother(in-law) gave a flat look. "Geez, you two are persistent. At least the girls leave it at teasing."

"That doesn't answer the question, Qrow," Tai said softly. He reached out and gripped his shoulder. "How do you know?"

Qrow shrugged out of Clover's grip. "We had a talk. No, I won't share, that's _his_ decision. But I know my luck. Oz won't be interested."

Tai frowned as Qrow looked away, resigned and wistful.

"Qrow…"

But his brother walked away, put on a smile, and sat down across from Oz, sliding neatly into conversation. And it wasn't a sad smile. Just a wistful one.

"Damn," Clover muttered.

Tai kept his mouth pressed into a firm line. He was going to have to be more supportive.

* * *

"Ruby, I need you to do me a favor. Can you give this packet to ISS?"

"Sure."

"Do you know where it is?"

"Um, no."

"Go to the office, past the secretaries' desks there's a hall. Go to the end of it and hook a right. The door at the end of that right."

"Okay," Ruby said, taking the packet of work and getting a pass written out. She waved to her sister and left class, following directions to go to the ISS room and wondering if there would be students there this early in the year. It was still October! Still, she made it to the office and down the two halls and knocked on the door before entering and-

"Blake?"

"Ruby?"

Her friend turned violently to the side and crossed her arms, cheeks coloring and hunching forward. Ruby glanced at the ISS teacher, not knowing the name, and putting it on the desk before darting over to her. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Blake stared down, not looking up. "I don't want you to see me here," she said.

"Okay," Ruby said, pulling a chair over to sit and leaning forward, trying to see her friend's face. "I understand that but why are you _here_? You're not the type of person to get ISS?"

"... It's stupid," Blake said, ducking her head down even further. "Don't even worry about it."

"Blake…?"

"..."

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you."

"I said it's s stupid _dress code_ violation," Blake said, louder, finally looking up. "Okay? Are you happy now?"

Ruby shook her head. "No," she said, "No I'm not happy. I would never be happy to see a friend here. What was the violation? You look fine to me."

"It's nothing. It's _stupid_. I just wanted to wear something my boyfriend got me."

Ruby…. She was a year younger than everyone else but she wasn't stupid either. She'd seen Blake's wardrobe slowly change over the summer, and she knew that even _Yang_ wouldn't be comfortable with some of what she wore. If Blake was wearing a school hoodie now she had a good idea of what the violation was. She looked down, reaching out and touching the back of Blake's hand. "Did you know it would be a dress code violation?"

"... Yeah," Blake admitted. "I didn't wear it on the bus, I knew my parents wouldn't let me go to school in it. I changed in homeroom."

"But… if you know you'd get yelled at, then why did you do it?"

Her gold eyes fell, and her head dipped again. "... Adam asked me to," she admitted.

Ruby shook her head, leaning further forward. "But why did he?" she asked. "He graduated last year, right? So he knew all about dress codes. And why did you say yes?"

"Ruby, I didn't want to disappoint him," Blake said, shaking her head.

"You not wearing something at school would disappoint him?"

"You wouldn't understand. You don't know him like I do. He's very sensitive."

"Blake," Ruby said, "I know you always say that he's sensitive, but I don't really understand what that means. Dad and Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin, they're sensitive, but I get the feeling that's not what you mean when you talk about Adam."

"I told you," Blake said, straightening. "You don't understand. He's been through a lot, and he gets hurt very easily. It's not easy for him, he's finally away from his parents but that doesn't mean he's automatically fixed. He hasn't made it on his own, he owes a lot of money to a lot of people and he's trying to figure out how to make everything work out and no one understands him. I'm the only one who does, and I'm the only one who can calm him down when he gets in a mood."

"Ooooh, Blake," Ruby said, feeling something in her heart break. "You don't know this but that's a line Yang's mom used to say to Dad all the time. He said he was the only one to calm her down when she was in a mood, and he said that it was never supposed to be his job to manage her emotions like that."

Blake didn't say anything, just stared, an angry frown on her face. "Blake," Ruby said, "I'm really scared for you."

She huffed. "Don't be. I know what I'm doing."

And she couldn't change her mind. Ruby left ISS and somehow made her way back to class. Yang passed her a note asking what happened, but Ruby didn't know how to explain it, and she just shook her head. They separated for the last class of the day and Ruby tried to figure out how to explain why something in her head was so worried for Blake. She didn't know a lot about Adam, but Blake had just said he was having money trouble, but he kept buying her expensive gifts and… specific clothes for her to wear, and jewelry. Something wasn't adding up in her head, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Blake didn't join them on the walk to the middle school, in fact Ruby watched her get into a car that wasn't her parents and drive off just as Yang caught up to her. They said their goodbyes to Weiss and started walking.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened in ISS?" Yang asked.

"It's just… Blake was there for a dress code violation."

"Wait, Blake was here today?"

"Yeah. I… guess she spent the entire day in ISS. She was trying to wear something her boyfriend got for her. I kind of got the impression he wanted her to wear it to school. She changed into it during homeroom."

"Really?" Yang said, huffing. "I swear, the more I hear about that guy the more I don't like him. He's so clingy and controlling. I don't know what she sees in him."

"I tried to talk to her," Ruby said, "And she said… she said she was the only one who could calm him down when he was in a mood. Didn't Dad say your mom used to say that?"

Yang's eyes widened as she cast her thoughts out. "You know, I think you're right. Mom…" She shook her head. "I think we need to talk to Uncle Qrow," she said, "He knew Mom best, and he would know if this Adam guy is good news for Blake or not."

"But that's the problem," Ruby said, worrying her hands. "What good is finding out if this guy is bad news if she still decides to stay with him? What if we can't convince her that he's bad news? What if… what if she decides not to be friends with us?"

"... I don't know, Ruby," Yang said. "I don't know…"

Uncle Qrow was at his spot in the middle school lot, chatting with Professor Ozpin right as the bell rang and the middle school let out. Ruby and Yang crossed the parking lot, Ruby watching the two of them smile as they talked and Oscar coming up to hug his dad. The warm scene made her smile, a little, but she was still worried about Blake and unsure what to do.

"What's this?" Uncle Qrow asked, smirk on his face. "Not tackle? Don't tell me you're too old for public displays of affection so soon?"

"Uncle Qrow," Yang said, stepping forward. "We need to talk. About Mom."

The smile wiped off his face in an instant, and Ruby saw Professor Ozpin still as he was moving around to the driver side of his car.

"What do you mean?" Uncle Qrow asked, and his rough voice was lower, darker, brushing against a long-fuzzy memory of what he was like before rehab.

Ruby dithered, unsure where to start, "It's not really about Yang's mom so much as something Dad used to say she said. Only I don't know if that makes sense but I heard it today from someone else and I think something bad is happening but I don't know for sure but I'm really worried but I don't want to lose a friend over something that might be nothing but…" she ran out of words.

"Oz, I'll take a rain check," Uncle Qrow said. "The girls and I need to have a talk."

"I understand. Text me if you need me."

"Yeah… Come on girls. Let's go somewhere quiet."

Yang put Ruby in the passenger seat and climbed into the back, and Uncle Qrow started up his junker and pulled out of the school. Ruby explained seeing Blake in ISS and what she said and how it sounded. She had just about finished when they arrived at Uncle Qrow's apartment, and they walked the three flights up. He flung his keys on the counter of the kitchenette and grabbed a soda out of the fridge, popping it open and taking several long gulps before sitting on his couch, Ruby and Yang joining him on either side.

"Have you two ever met the guy?" he asked.

"No," Ruby admitted. "She won't even let us read her texts."

"I think the background on her phone is him," Yang offered. "But it was weird, photoshopped or whatever. You couldn't really see his face." She looked down. "I asked her about it once, and she got all prickly."

"Okay, what's Blake said about this guy?"

"Well," Ruby said, "I remember when we first learned about him he said she was mature. She always smiled when she said that, and she says he's been through a lot."

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "Said he hated his parents and was trying to make it on his own."

"He's a high school graduate - or at least I assume he is - so what's he doing for work if he's on his own?"

Ruby frowned, thinking back. She looked to her sister on the other side of Uncle Qrow, but she was frowning, too. "Transportation, I think," she said after a long pause. "But I don't remember for sure. He's always texting her and saying he needs her. He's really clingy - we barely saw her over the summer because she was spending all her time with him."

"And here's the question," Uncle Qrow said. "You two are in high school, right? Do you want to spend every waking minute with a fifth grader?"

"Eww, _no_ ," Ruby said, "They're little kids, they make weird jokes and are too loud."

"Then why's a seventeen year old so into a thirteen year old?"

"Because Blake's mature, Blake said he said so."

"But you two are her friends. Do you really think she acts _that_ much older than you?"

"That's just it," Yang said. "She's cool and collected, but she's still just like us. She laughs at our jokes, she doesn't think we're too young for her, she's fine. She didn't even like the high school parties she went to and-"

Uncle Qrow snapped to his attention to Yang. "High school parties?" he asked, and there was the low, dangerous tenor in his voice again. Ruby was getting more and more worried.

"It was fine," Ruby said quickly, trying to make this sound better than what it was. "He protected her, she said so, so nothing bad happened, right?"

Uncle Qrow's eyes were closed, and he tilted his head back for several long seconds. Ruby looked to Yang, but she was just as worried and just as lost. She shook her head.

"New question," Uncle Qrow said. "About Raven. What did Blake say that made you think of her?"

"She… she said that she was the only one who could calm him down, that he said that a lot. She said we didn't know him like she did - but that doesn't really sound fair, because we've never seen him and never talked to him so we _can't_ know him like she does."

"Christ," Uncle Qrow swore, opening his eyes and looking up at the ceiling, "I'm such an idiot. I owe Tai and Clover an apology." He straightened, looked at both Ruby and Yang, and his face was as serious as it had been in the weeks leading up to the parole hearing. "Let me tell you a story about Raven. Yang, I gotta warn you, you're not gonna like it."

Yang shook her head. "I can take it," she said, shifting her weight to face him more fully. "I know what she really is now."

"There's one thing you've gotta understand about Raven and me, we were both pretty fu-screwed up when we were kids. Our mom and dad weren't the nicest people in the universe - they were the same color of jerks Weiss' dad is, but there wasn't any veneer to hide it. Growing up with people like that messes with your head, and we were both pretty twisted when we met Tai and Summer in college. You know all the mistakes I made - I was drinking, playing, dating the worst kind of people, figuring out I was bi, picking fights any time I thought I had to prove myself - which was constantly. Raven… she did a better job of flying under the radar. She was quiet - if she was mad she didn't say anything until later, and then she would rip you to absolute pieces. The two of us would get into knock-down, drag out _fights_ , the ugly kind that no one wants to see or hear. We did it all the time because that was all we knew how to do, but one day we started having that kind of fight in front of your dad and he stepped in with all his Big Dad energy and turned the fight right off. Threw us both for a loop - that had never happened before.

"Well, Raven didn't take kindly to being wound up and then not getting to let off the steam. She picked a fight with him two days later, but he cooled her down again. And again. Raven couldn't get it, she'd never had anyone talk her down before. She was pissed at first, then frustrated, then obsessed. We both thought it was true love or something. We were idiot kids. I don't know how to explain it - Raven and me, we'd never known what healthy people were; and Summer and Tai, they'd never known unhealthy people. It was a disaster waiting to happen."

Ruby tucked her head into her uncle's shoulder, hugging his arm and curling into him. It might have been a little immature for a high schooler, but she sensed that her Uncle needed something as he was telling this. Yang was drinking in every word, always starved for information on her mom and listening to new insight after new insight as it was revealed to her.

"Raven… she never really left the house. Like, we were on campus, in college, but her heart was still twisted up and locked away with our parents. She didn't know how to break out, and instead she just did the same thing over and over, and we never noticed that it hurt people around us. Raven spent every waking minute with Tai, talked about all the sh-stuff we went through and how he had to be sensitive to her, without ever once realizing she had to be sensitive to him. And Tai…

"Tai, damn him, he was too good to realize he was the only one giving to the relationship." He took a long guzzle from his soda, finished the can in fact, let it hang limply from his hand. Ruby looked up to his face, saw that it was the face that wished for something stronger, and all she could do was cuddle closer, sad because her uncle was sad, hurting because her uncle was hurting.

"The second Raven started to give to Tai, she got scared."

"Why would she be scared?" Yang asked - not the indignant rude tone she took when asking about her mom, but a softer, curious tone that seemed to make Ruby hurt even more.

"She only knew one kind of life, firecracker," Uncle Qrow said, leaving the empty can on his lap and running his hands through her hair. "Jumping into another one is terrifying. So she ran to what she knew. I wasn't much better, I chased after her to try and drag her back instead of looking after the two people who showed me that new life was better than my old one. Tai and me… we never really talked about the break up after it happened. I was chasing Raven and Summer had to pick up the pieces. You know the rest… After it was all settled I was a mess, and Tai and Summer kept giving. I wasn't… I can't really say I was good about giving back then."

Ruby winced to hear Uncle Qrow admit something so painful, and she didn't know how to hug him more. Yang was looking down at her lap, hands twisted into fists, and she leaned into Uncle Qrow, adding her head to his other shoulder.

"We did talk, finally," he admitted, and his voice was rough, almost wet. "After rehab. We were both smarter by then - or at least Tai was, and he talked about what it was like to be with Raven. He said it was tending a fire that could feed itself. She was warm and bright and a little dangerous, but he realized over time his only job was to make sure she didn't burn the place down. Fire's supposed to feed you warm food, keep you safe from danger, prove to the world how smart you are, and Tai wasn't getting any of that - he said he was just a bucket of water to dunk on her when things were too hot to handle. He wasn't her partner, he was her temperature gauge, and there wasn't anyone to take his temperature.

"I hated her so much when he said that…" he confessed. "'Cause he is literally the best guy you could know and have in your life, and she never treated him like it…"

His arms came up and wrapped around Ruby's shoulders, probably Yang's, too, and he squeezed as hard as he could. Ruby hugged him even tighter, and she felt Yang snake her arms around to do the same, and for a small eternity they held each other, helping their uncle through a bad day.

There was an ugly sniffle, and then Uncle Qrow loosened his grip and let go. Ruby and Yang pulled back, looking up, but his face was dry. Haunted, but dry. He pulled out his phone.

"I gotta be honest, girls," he said. "The stuff you've just told me about Blake, her parents need to know. I know to you guys they look strict and unreasonable, but they're scared and want her safe, and this guy Blake is seeing... he is _not_ safe."

Yang hesitated, unwilling to break, but Ruby knew how hard it was for Uncle Qrow to talk about Yang's mom, and she knew he did it for a good reason, because she saw Yang's mom in Blake's boyfriend, and if it hurt him that much then it couldn't be good. "Go ahead," she said, reaching out and grabbing Yang's hand. "We won't say anything to Blake."

Uncle Qrow called the Belladonna's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connecter chapter. The summer disappeared in the blink of an eye. as we switched over to an outlined format, and having the Memorial Day and Labor Day cookouts almost back to back is a little awkward but the pacing finally starts to even out from here. OzQrow gets pushed at a little more by Tai and Clover; Qrow is in full Pining Mode, and Clover continues to be the best thing in every scene he's in.
> 
> But more than anything else, we finally start to build up Blake's arc - we've been dancing around it in the background for how many chapters? A lot of readers already know what's happening and this chapter makes it obvious for everyone else.
> 
> And we have the ability to link this back to Raven. She might not being in anyone's lives anymore, but that doesn't mean she hasn't affected everyone in the family. It hurts for Qrow to bring it all up - he'd rather be numb, but he knows exactly where that will get him - but something we've learned in the course of our own lives is that just because the type of abuse differs from person to person the experience of abuse is universal to all of the survivors - and they can pick up on the bad signals faster than other people. The result is that Qrow makes a good decision.
> 
> Next chapter: Oz gives Weiss a philosophical dissertation on Snow White. Also, Halloween: Revenge of the Drama.


	14. Chapter 14

Weiss didn't care for the end of the school day. Since her father had her on lockdown, she always had to take the bus home. Winter had stated that she could use her as an excuse, but it had to be sparingly, so that Father didn't get suspicious. Well, the protests hadn't gone away over the summer, and as new allegations came forward, it was like a different group was protesting every day. It had been bad for almost two weeks. Finally, at lunch, she had caved and texted Winter for an excuse to just _not_ go home today.

Winter had readily agreed.

In a way, Weiss was looking forward to therapy this weekend. She'd finally be able to rant and rave about how the week had been going and what that meant. But she had to get to the weekend first.

She put on a light jacket and grabbed her bag and headed over to Yang's locker, which was closest to the exit and where they usually met up.

"Hey, Weiss," Yang greeted. "You're not running to the bus."

Winter winced, and pinched her nose. "I texted Winter. I'm coming over."

"Ahhh, about that…"

Weiss gave a flat look. "What."

"Yang! I'm ready! I left my stuff with the teacher, I just need you and we're set!" Ruby came bouncing over, bright-eyed. "Weiss! Are you staying after also?"

"Staying after."

Yang ran a hand through her long blond tresses. "Yeah, Ruby and I are staying after for some extra help in science."

"Oh."

Ruby looked between Weiss and her sister. "I missed something."

Weiss let out a long sigh, fighting back the beginning of a headache. "That means that Mr. Qrow won't be at the middle school either?"

"No," Yang offered an apologetic smile. "We'd texted him earlier. He said he'd be glad to have a few extra hours sleep."

"I see."

She turned and started to walk away.

"Weiss!" Ruby trailed after. "We're sorry! We didn't know you wanted to come over!"

Weiss _wanted_ to snap, but instead she just took a deep breath and let it all out. "It's fine. It was a spur of the moment decision for me. I can't always expect you two to be free." Her jaw was tense and she could feel a headache forming. "Professor Ozpin will be there. He'll understand. He's dating your Uncle, right?"

"Well yeah… but…."

"He's safe," Weiss said firmly. "I need safe right now."

"We understand," Ruby said. "Text us. Keep us updated. Find out from Professor Ozpin what's taking him so long to make a move on Uncle Qrow!"

Weiss snorted.

Ruby clearly took that smirk as a victory.

"Whatever," Weiss pretended to gripe. But they all smiled and said goodbye. The busses were just leaving as Weiss headed out and she watched Blake running across the parking lot to an older car with a bright smile on her face. She leaned in to whoever the driver was, then ran around to the passenger side and got in.

Weiss couldn't help but tilt her head, confused. Where was Blake going? Was that the boyfriend? But the car was already leaving.

Right. Long walk to the middle school.

A half hour later, Weiss was moderately proud of herself. She had looked at her phone and realized that she might miss Professor Ozpin and Oscar and ran the rest of the way to the middle school, texting Oscar to have his dad wait for her.

Somehow, she'd made it to the middle school just as the busses were leaving, and she let out a gusty, panting sigh of relief to see them in the handicapped spot.

"Miss Schnee," Professor Ozpin greeted. "I am pleased that you are coming over, but perplexed. You usually spend your time with your friends."

"Hello Professor," Weiss said heavily, trying to control her breath. After a deep breath, she stood straighter and brought her shoulders back. She opened her mouth to speak, but froze. Clenching her jaw, she tried again. "I wanted to spend the afternoon with my friends. But Ruby and Yang are staying after school for help in science."

The professor gave a gentle smile and a soft chuckle. "I presume that you had made arrangements with your sister before realizing that?"

Weiss did _not_ blush. "Something like that."

"We'll be happy to have you over."

She smiled.

Of course, they had been over to Professor Ozpin's before, but between that, Mr. Qrow's apartment, or the Xiao Long home, Professor Ozpin's place was the least likely to go over to. Usually it was just straight to the Xiao Long home as it had space. Mr. Qrow's when he had an earlier shift, things like that. It was strange to go over alone. Normally Ruby was chatting away, Yang and Blake were whispering, and Weiss was trying to browbeat them into getting the homework done _first_ , _then_ playing around.

They entered the house and it was strangely routine. The professor settled them into the living room, told them to get to work, and disappeared to his office to do his own work.

But it was so _quiet_ without the others.

With a heavy sigh, Weiss pulled out her homework and looked to Oscar. "So, do you need any help?"

Oscar worried at his hands for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think you can. I took Algebra 1 last year, but they have a teacher coming down from the high school to teach me Geometry. I don't understand writing proofs. You're a freshman. I don't think-"

"I also took Algebra 1 last year," Weiss said. "I'm in Geometry now."

Oscar gave a shy smile and they got to work.

It wasn't as noisy as when everyone else was there… but it wasn't being home with her father. Weiss could feel her shoulders drop with the eased tension.

"Converse, inverse, contrapositive…" Oscar shook his head. "I think this is a level of abstract I'm not grown up enough for yet."

"Oh yes you are," Weiss groused. "Converse is flipping, see? Inverse is 'not'ing it. Contrapositive is doing both."

Oscar gave a small laugh. "You seem to be feeling better."

"I- er…" she looked away. "Yeah."

"Your dad?"

Weiss nodded. "It's just… _exhausting_ being there. Dealing with him is just so much and I get so numb…"

"Oh, so he's a succubus."

Weiss stuttered. "A _what_?"

"A succubus," Oscar said. "A demon that sucks all the emotion out of you. When that person gets so angry and furious, nothing can stop the rage, and all you can do is be as small and quiet as possible, hoping it ends soon even when you know it won't, and then if that rage is focused on _you_ it's worse, and by the end you're just… sorta… apathetic to everything."

"I… I've never heard of a succubus before."

"I think my dad mentioned it once in one of his lectures. I remember the sucking emotions out of you thing. It… reminded me of something."

"Yeah," Weiss said softly, staring down at her homework. After her father was done… no one had any energy. It was always so exhausting. Walking delicately to make sure nothing upset him… and then all the work to either deescalate or just wait for it to blow over. "I think you're right. Father does suck everything out of you. He would be a succubus." She blinked. "How do you know that feeling?"

Oscar didn't look at her. There was a heavy pause, and he opened his mouth to say something… but thought better of it. "Okay I think I get converses and inverses, but what about this example…"

Weiss let the subject change.

Later, Professor Ozpin came out and went to the kitchen and Weiss knew what that meant. Oscar had explained once that they made a cookie dough every evening to bake the following day. Leftovers went to the other professors at Professor Ozpin's department. Sure enough, the oven was set to preheat and the professor was scooping out balls of cookie dough.

She turned to Oscar. "What kind today?"

His smile was like the sun. "Chocolate crinkles. His best and my favorite."

Weiss's mouth watered.

"Okay," Oscar stood. "I have a paper to write. I have to use my computer."

Weiss nodded and went back to her homework, enjoying the slowly growing smell of _~chocolate~_!

Eventually her body told her functions needed doing, and she went to the bathroom. After washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror, intending to fix anything that had gone astray after the loooong walk to the middle school or anything, and saw….

She stared. She was a mess. She was paler than usual, her skin was blotchy, and she could see dark circles starting to form under her eyes. How much of that was the long walk, and how much of that was because she was dealing with Father every day? She looked… sad… lonely… Weiss put on her usual smile and it didn't look right. She tried a different smile, and it still looked…. false. Had she always been like this?

There was a knock on the door. "Miss Schnee? You've been in there for some time. Are you alright?"

Weiss let out a heavy sigh. "Yes," she said, and opened the door.

Professor Ozpin was leaning on his cane and looking at her. "Let's have some cookies."

_Yes_! Cookies!

There was a plate on the coffee table along with a pot of tea and two teacups. Weiss may have giggled at the silliness of someone her age having a tea party, but she still sat gracefully and poured the tea.

Professor Ozpin was in his usual seat, leg up and took his tea with a quiet thanks. "You know, Miss Weiss, you remind me of Snow White."

Weiss choked on her tea. " _Excuse me_?" She swallowed again. "I'm afraid that comparison makes no sense," she said more demurely. "I don't have an evil stepmother, no one's trying to kill me for being the prettiest of them all, I'm not hiding with seven dwarves. Or would that be 'little people' now?"

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "Leave the dwarves in the fairy tales, and the little people in reality," he said. "No, you're focusing too much on the details. What is the core of the story of Snow White?"

Weiss offered a flat look. "That she was pretty and that made a prince fall in love with her and rescue her."

The professor shook his head. "Again, you're looking at the trappings of the story. The accoutrements. At its core, Snow White has a parental figure that harms her. She escapes and finds support from friends who try to help protect her. The theme of Snow White, is about escaping from abuse and finding happiness elsewhere."

"I… what?"

Taking a cookie, Professor Ozpin sat back. "Snow White's stepmother was vain, selfish, and greedy, wanting to be the only one in all the land who was beautiful. How is that different from your father, who is always dressed expensively, and seeks to control construction throughout the region? The stepmother was jealous of her daughter's beauty and sought to control it. Does not your father try and control you and your siblings? His control was so tight that Winter never came home. You wear your hair to the side to rebel, don't you?"

Weiss's hand immediately shot up to her hair. "How…?"

He gave a small smile. "I _am_ a well-educated adult with quite a few years of experience. Have I missed the mark yet?"

Weiss shook her head.

"Now, the version you probably know best is the Disney film from the 1930s, but there were changes from the original tale. To begin with, the huntsman."

"Huntsman?" Weiss racked her brain for a second. "Oh, the guy the stepmom sends to kill her?"

"Yes," Professor Ozpin said, munching on a cookie. "In the original Brother's Grimm fairy tale, Snow White bargains for her freedom. She asked to stay in the forest and to never return again. The Huntsman accepted. Snow White took her own steps to keeping herself safe." He gave her a look.

Weiss looked away. "I can see that," she said softly. "I know how to de-escalate, how to appease, how to nod my head so that things don't get worse."

"And let's not forget, you know how to escape now. You arranged to be free this afternoon did you not?"

She nodded.

"So Snow White leaves for the forest and finds true friends in the seven dwarves. They can't be with her all the time, but they support her, help her, and save her from several attempts on her life by the Queen."

"My friends," Weiss said quietly. "Even before they… knew about things, they were just…"

"They were what you needed and helped you, even when they didn't realize it. It's why you've never left them, despite your father's wishes."

Weiss scowled. "Snow White died. Only a true love's kiss or Prince Charming was able to save her in the end."

"And I believe Disney's movie _Frozen_ did a fairly good job of saying that true love doesn't have to come from some sort of suitor." He took a sip of his tea. "I believe Winter is trying to save you. The Xiao Long family and myself will readily do what we can to keep you safe. I believe that you are in the process of being saved, just like Snow White. And just like Snow White chose how to keep herself safe, you're also choosing how to proceed with every step you take."

Weiss… gave a small smile. "Yeah. I suppose I am. I can endure a little more."

"Or you can seek refuge as you have today. It is about your choice."

That… meant the world.

* * *

Halloween had two bonuses for Yang: the first of which was - after religiously appearing at the middle school where Uncle Qrow was waiting for them, they had earned the right to trick or treat on their own; the second of which was they had a new curfew: eleven o'clock. Yang and Ruby had _salivated_ over the idea of staying out two extra hours and planning where they would go trick-or-treating on their own. Weiss reminded them that they still had to be responsible, but Yang and Ruby both conveniently asked where Weiss was trick-or-treating to link up with them. Ruby was bummed to learn Weiss wasn't going, that there was going to be a party at the house with her father's donors and she was expected to sing for them. Yang helpfully suggested the song from that witch movie so they could dance until they died, and smirked when Weiss rolled her eyes and said she was going to dress up as Snow White.

Ruby had been positively _inspired_ at the thought and firmly said she was going as Red Riding Hood, and that Yang _totally_ had to go as… uhm… Goldilocks! Yeah! Yang shook her head and said she was going to be a boxer instead.

Blake was of course invited, but she shook her head, saying she was spending it with her boyfriend and that he had a special surprise for her.

Yang was put off, after Uncle Qrow had talked about Mom and what life was like with her… Yang didn't like what she heard about Adam, she didn't like how clingy he was, she didn't like how he sucked up all Blake's time, and she didn't like how defensive Blake had gotten since the dating had started. How short tempered.

But Halloween was Halloween, and she and Ruby were determined to have the _Best Night Evar_. It was dark and spooky and they got lots of candy, sent selfies to Blake and Weiss both to make them feel better, got a metric _ton_ of candy and were already buzzing with sugar. They had walked all the way to the professor's house just to get his cookies as their first stop and had a windy, treat-filled walk back. Ruby accused everyone she saw of being a Big Bad Wolf and Yang kept yelling "Adrian!" with her fists up in the air - even though she thought _Creed_ was better. Old movies sucked.

When their route was done and they were walking back, Ruby mentioned that her phone app said they would be fifteen minutes late for curfew, and Yang called home to let their dad know. He said he was glad and proud that they called, and that he didn't mind waiting up for them. Ruby asked how many people visited the house and he started going over his numbers, saying he hadn't had anyone in an hour and that they had better _not_ have eaten any candy - they had school the next day and all that sugar steadfastly had to last until _Thanksgiving, thank you_ , since he didn't plan on buying any more candy until _January_.

They had just made it to their street when Yang's phone started to vibrate, and she pulled it out, confused, and saw Blake was calling. Ruby looked in askance but she put a hand up to wait, pressing the answer button and taking the call.

"Blake?"

" _... Yang…? Sommmething's wwrong…._ "

"Blake? Speak up, I can barely hear you."

" _Not so llllloud… I don't wwant him to hear… sommmething's wwrong…_ "

"Blake, what's wrong?" Yang demanded, pulling her phone down and putting it on speaker. Ruby leaned in. "You sound weird. Where are you?"

" _... uhhn…. I don't knoww…. Everything's weeird… but I think I gooooot awaaay…. I gotta get awaaay… I'm ssscared…_ "

Somewhere something deep inside of Yang sparked, and her body felt like it was on fire. "Where are you?" she demanded, lengthening her stride and almost running to the house. "I'm coming to get you."

"What?" Ruby said. "How can you do that?"

"She can tell me where she is," Yang said, running to the garage and pulling out her bike. "Blake, tell me where you are. Are you inside or outside?"

" _Outside…. I knoooow that…. A loot of buildings…. No trees…._ "

"Downtown, I got it. You're going great Blake, keep talking." She finally got a leg over the bike and turned her eyes to Yang. "Get Dad," she said, "Tell him to call the cops and have them trace my phone. I'm going to Blake."

"Wait, what? Yang this isn't TV, can cops even do that? Yang! _Yang!_ "

But Yang was pedaling, dropping her candy on the driveway and eating up distance. "Blake," she nearly shouted. "What part of downtown? Do you recognize where you are?"

It was painful, listening to Blake slur her words and struggle to pick out landmarks. Yang prayed she was on Main Street - she knew that like the back of her hand - but Blake was determined to be quiet because she had to get away. There was something about having wine, maybe she was drunk - and Yang was ready to curse a blue streak because her slurs weren't the same as Uncle Qrow's, she remembered what her uncle sounded like and he never had this level of disorientation, even when things were bad. She kept encouraging Blake, saying she was doing great, do you see any street signs?

"I' _m beeehind something… I don't rememmmber how I got here…. But I see a store…_ "

"That's great, Blake, what kind of store? Is it a grocery store? Or a bike store?"

" _Shhhhhh, I gooooootta be quiet…. I can't… It'ss a gas station… Whhhite brick and greeeeeen roof. Next to it iiiiis… it saaaaays all-night dinnnnner… we drive by iiit when we'rrre going to Suuuuuun'ss._ "

Yang grit her teeth. "That's a great detail Blake. What else do you see? If there's a gas station and a diner, is there a big parking lot?"

" _I can't seee…. I don't want to bee seeeeen… I gotta hide…._ "

The only gas station with a green roof she knew of was near Uncle Qrow's apartment, and he always said never to walk around his apartment because some mean people lived a few streets over. If Blake was there and it was this late at night the not-safe people were out, and Yang didn't even want to guess what that meant. "Hang on, Blake, I'm almost there," she said. "You're doing amazing. What are you hiding behind so I can find you?"

" _Adam… Adam… pleaasee…_ "

" _You ran away, love,_ " said a new voice, lower, darker, " _You brought this on yourself._ "

" _Adam… I'm sorrrrry…. Pleaasee don't bee mad…_ "

Yang heard a scream - both on her phone and echoing off the canyons of the buildings. She saw the gas station and the diner, and she pedaled even _harder_ , lungs burning for oxygen as she spun her head around left and right, looking for something that Blake was hiding behind. The street itself was empty… it had to be an alley…

Blake screamed again, and Yang spun her head around, saw a dark figure standing in silhouette by the light of some kind of back entrance. Blake was on the ground, in the light, and it looked like she hardly had any clothes on and there was blood…!

" _Get away from her!_ " Yang shouted, pedaling up to speed and then hoisting herself onto her rear wheel, slamming her bike into the guy. The guy grunted and they all fell over in a heap. Yang's bike twisted, her wheel snapping at a right angle. It felt ugly to see her bike crumple but she climbed off it and the guy under it, moving to Blake under the light of the back door. She was on her side, gold eyes roving everywhere, paler than Yang had ever seen her. She was in a lacy bra and her jeans from school, and she clutched her side where it was nothing but red. That guy…!

"Hang on, Blake," she said, "I'm getting you out of here."

"Nooo… there's a knnnife…"

Yang's blood was on _fire_ , she stood and turned to the boyfriend. "You think you can do that to her and get _away with it?_ " she demanded, striding forward. "You think you can just _hurt people_?" She lifted her fist, still in the boxing glove from her costume and threw a right cross, only to have it caught. It was lifted over her head, and she struggled to keep her feet on the ground. She lifted a leg up to kick the stupid jerk, but a punch landed in her gut and all the air pushed out of her lungs.

"Who the hell are you?" the low voice said.

"I'm the one who _actually_ cares about Blake!" Yang said, giving up on staying on the ground and instead lifting her legs up and then jerking them out, kicking the guy. She landed roughly on her behind but scrambled away and up to her feet. The guy hadn't even fallen over, damn it, and Yang growled, lifting her fists up.

"Feisty," the boyfriend said. "Too bad you don't know who you're dealing with." He moved, but so fast Yang didn't really understand what happened, only that he had red hair and then something slammed into her guard with so much force she took several steps back. She didn't have time to recover, a fist wrapped around her wrist and then a punch landed in her upper arm, twisting her and making something deep inside _snap_ , and she shrieked in pain, crumpling to the ground when he let go. She held her arm close, scrambling back and putting herself in front of Blake.

Her blood was pumping hard, her ears were ringing, and her entire right side was in pain from the shoulder down; this was a god-awful _mess_ but she was going to _die_ before anything happened to Blake.

The man was still in shadow, moving around before reaching down and picking something up next to the ruined bike. The knife…!

"Yang… rrrrunn… _please_ …"

"Shut up," she hissed. "I'm not leaving you."

"Yes, don't leave," Adam said. "I know some people who would _love_ to get to know you."

" _Fuck off,_ bastard!"

Then he froze, turning suddenly, and Yang didn't understand because it looked like he heard something but her ears were still ringing with her fired blood. He disappeared in the shadows, and Yang was panting, still holding her arm. Her adrenaline left in a rush, and she leaned back, eliciting a groan from something behind her, but all she really knew was she could _breath_. Red and blue lights flooded her vision and she knew she was safe.

* * *

Qrow groaned as he finally made it to break. It was one a.m., he was stuck here until at least four, and he was running out of ways to keep himself awake. Break room had sludge for coffee, and the last thing he needed was to be wired when he went to bed. He opted for a fistfull of cheap crackers, the crunch giving him something to think about as he leaned against the counter and tried not to close his eyes. He rolled his shoulders and stretched, feeling a pop all the way down his back, and right as he was in the height of his stretch his phone of all things started to vibrate. He fumbled, dropped his phone, but finally managed to slide it open.

"Branwen," he answered.

" _Qrow!_ "

"Tai? What are you doing up right now?"

" _It's Yang! She did something stupid!_ "

Instantly awake, Qrow stiffened and straightened. "What happened?" he growled.

" _She's in the hospital!_ "

That was the last thing he really processed, his next clear memory was powering through the sliding doors of the hospital and demanding to know where his niece was, damn near running down a hall and seeing Tai coming around a corner.

"Tai!"

"Qrow! Thank god!" The blond all but ran to him, crushing him in a hug and Qrow stumbling to give one back. He looked over and saw Ruby sleeping on a chair, and the Belladonnas holding each other next to her. What even…?

Qrow pulled out of the hug, shaking his brother. "What happened?"

"It was assault," Tai said, shaking in Qrow's grip. "Yang got some kind of call from Blake, Ruby came running into the house saying I had to call the police and trace Yang's phone, Blake was in trouble. They found them in an alley off of Dust, next to that pawn shop and diner next to the gas station."

Qrow stared. "That's four blocks from me," he said, "What was she even _doing_ there?"

"That's where Blake was, they said," Tai said, and he looked about ready to fly apart at the seams, as bad as the weeks leading up to Summer. "Qrow, they could have been killed! The cops scared the guy off, if they were even two minutes later-!" He was shaking again, and Qrow forced him to sit down.

"Look at me," Qrow said, " _Look at me_. Damn it Tai, _focus!_ " He reached out, grabbed the back of Tai's head, forcing him to look Qrow in the eye. "Is she okay?" he demanded.

"They won't let me see her, they said they need statements, they have to do a drug test-"

"A _drug test_? What the _fuck_ Tai, she's not-"

"But Blake _was_ ," Tai said, and his voice cracked he was so upset, "and there was something about shared contact, and they said something about statements and _I don't know what to do!_ "

Qrow growled, low in his throat, and he stood up, storming over to the Belladonnas. "Just _what_ did your daughter do to my niece?" he demanded, grabbing the collar of Ghira - damn that he was two heads taller. "What the fuck is even happening?"

Ghira grabbed at the wrist and twisted, his gold eyes were dark and he growled just as low as Qrow, maybe even lower. "Our daughter was _assaulted_ is what happened," he grunted. "Take your accusations somewhere else."

"Please," Kali said, rocking back and forth, "she's out little girl… they say she was stabbed…"

What…? _What…?_ Qrow staggered back, realizing how bad everything was, and his mind jumped and jittered, too many things firing in his head. He was seeing Amber and Pietro, after the fire, in the hospital and Raven nowhere to be found, he was seeing Tai, blaming himself for what happened, and Summer wasn't here to pick up the pieces, and he had to be strong but all he could see was everything falling apart and he wasn't there he wasn't there he lived _four fucking blocks away and he hadn't been there the same as he hadn't been there for Tai_ and he was a goddamned failure it had all happened again what was he even good for how was he supposed to handle this? He cursed, pacing back and forth, trying to keep his head quiet, trying to force himself to focus, _here and now_. Tai needed him, Tai _needed_ him, he had to keep his head on _goddamn straight_ and _fuck_ he wanted a drink right now.

Damn it Qrow, _damn_ it! Do it right!

Growling, he moved to the nurses station. "Who's in charge here?" he demanded.

"Sir?"

"There's _two families_ over there that haven't seen their kids! How long's it for you assholes to figure out we're _family_ and we have a right to see them?"

"Sir, please, keep your voice down."

" _I will when I can see my niece!_ " he bellowed, slamming his fist on the counter. "You gonna keep us hanging for hours? Is that it? You want to see a mental breakdown? Let Tai see his daughter!"

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"

" _The fuck_ I'm leaving," Qrow shouted. "Not until you let us see Yang!"

"Qrow! Please! If you keep yelling they won't let us see her!"

"Shut _up_ Tai, I'm trying to speed things along!"

"No, you're holding us back; please, Qrow, I can't do this by myself again I need you to-"

"Where even were you?" Qrow demanded, "Why was Yang out over on Dust by herself, you _know_ what kind of neighborhood that is - why did you even allow it? What made you think it was a good idea to _let her go_?!" He grabbed Tai's arms. "What kind of parent _are_ you?"

Tai's eyes doubled in size, color draining from his face, and Qrow finally heard what was coming out of his mouth. Fuck, _fuck_ , that wasn't what he meant to say, that wasn't what he was trying… "Shit," he cursed. "Tai, I'm sorry, that wasn't-"

"No… it's fine…" Taid said, voice far away. "It's true… it's true…"

"No, _no_ , Tai-I'm _sorry_ , you're a great dad. We always talk about your Big Dad Energy the girls have turned out great because of-"

"I… I need to be alone now."

" _Tai_ …!"

"Just… just go."

Tai turned around, and he ambled back to Ruby asleep in the chair, sitting next to her, staring off at nothing, just like he did after Summer: lost in his own head, completely shut down. Damn it, _damn it_ , what the _fuck_ was wrong with him? Qrow growled, hating himself, and he staggered away from the scene, terrified he would do more damage. He moved to the other side of the nurses station, tried to figure out what to do with all the energy in his body, all the thoughts in his head. He was thinking about the Poledina's, and Raven, and how he'd fucked that up too, and now he'd fucked this up, he was the certified _worst person alive_ , no one wanted him, he was a goddamn _curse_ , this was why he _drank_ so he didn't have to fall into this spiral of thoughts. He looked for a vending machine, wondering if there was beer in it, and he shook his head when he realized what he was thinking.

This was bad, this was _bad_ , he hated being in his own head. He couldn't drink, but he couldn't leave the hospital, but he couldn't go anywhere near Tai… what was he supposed to do…?

He pulled out his phone:

_Help me yang's in teh hospital bad day gonna drink can't turn my brain off_

He didn't even know who he sent it to, probably Clover if he was smart, and he sat in a chair and put his head in his hands, one leg bouncing. All he could think about was drinking: beer spiked with vodka, how good the burn felt down his throat and how pleasantly _numb_ it would make him and he needed _numb_ he needed it so badly he didn't know what to do. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his five year coin, pressed it to his forehead, trying to stay sane.

But _Yang_ , his _firecracker_ , was in the _hospital_ , and _how was he supposed to stay sane for this?_ What if Ruby had been with her? What if… what if… what if…?

* * *

He didn't know how long he sat there bouncing his leg and dreaming about alcohol to calm his nerves make him numb take the pain away what a fuck up fuck up fuck up _fuck up he was so fucked up_ but a hand touched his shoulder and he found himself looking up.

His hair was wild and askew, his autumn scarf missing and the lapel of his coat was flopped to the inside and unfixed.

"... Oz?" he asked, shocked by how disheveled the professor looked and shocked that he was even _here_. "What are you doing here…?"

The other man blinked. "You sent me a text at three in the morning begging for help," he said. "How could I not? I came as soon as I settled Oscar." He moved slightly, shifting his weight and sitting next to Qrow. His hand hadn't left his shoulder, indeed it had moved to rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. "Tell me what's happened," he said softly.

Qrow gave a garbled explanation: getting the call from Tai, seeing what a mess his brother-in-law was, trying to make things go faster, instead making them go _worse_.

"I'm bad luck, Oz," he said. "I'm little more than a curse. When people need me all I do is screw up. I don't... " His head fell, and all the noise in his head was driving him insane. "I want a drink," he confessed. "I can't turn it off. This isn't the first time I fucked somebody over. The Poledinas… they're both scarred because I didn't know what Raven was doing. I couldn't be there for Tai, I was too busy wallowing in my pity party, and now I've fucked it all up again. I'm worthless. I was better off drunk-"

The hand on his back stopped, and instead spread to an entire arm, Oz's other leaving his precious cane to enfold him in a hug, the professor's head pressing against his back.

"It's okay," he said, and his voice was so soft and smooth, and the embrace was warm and strong, and Qrow started to shake. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. You have every right to be scared for Yang. It's okay…"

"She's _fourteen_ ," Qrow moaned. "They found her off of freaking _Dust_ … Tai said another two minutes…!"

"But it didn't happen," Oz said from behind him. One hand started to rub Qrow's arm. "She's safe. She's hurt but she's safe. She's safe. Repeat after me…"

"... she's safe," Qrow said, and his eyes blurred. "She's safe… oh, my god she's _safe…_ " Relief overwhelmed him as the one bit of good news from the entire night finally sank in. She was okay. Yang was _okay…_ He fell apart completely then, and he tried to cover his mouth, tried to turn it off before the whole hospital saw what a mess he was.

"Let it out," Oz said, shifting his head and murmuring in Qrow's ear. "Don't hold it in, don't do what you think you're supposed to, just let it out. All of it."

And he did. The emotion poured out of him in one ugly maelstrom. "... I want to be there… Tai called me, he said he needed me… and I wasn't there for him, I just made it _worse_ , I always make it _worse_ …"

"You didn't make it worse," Oz said in his ear, his soft words cutting through the emotion. "You came when he called. That's more than some ever could."

"But I made it _worse…_ "

"You showed that you cared," Oz corrected. "Very few people throw around that much emotion out of indifference. You were scared for Yang, and that's okay. Just tell him that, and let him decide if you made it worse or not."

"But I did, I _did_ …"

"Shh… it's okay… it's okay…"

The words were meaningless, but Qrow drank in every letter, every syllable, anything to keep himself sane. This was why he spent so much time drunk before: his bad luck would come up, he would make something worse, and he would hurt over what he did to the point where he wanted to be numb. If he was numb it was less likely to hurt someone - it wasn't until the girls' intervention that he realized that being numb hurt people even worse, but sometimes the pain was just _so much_ , and he didn't know how to fight it. That was why he had Clover on speed dial - but somehow the text had gone to Oz instead, and right now he didn't even _care_ because being hugged felt _so good_ right now and he broke all over again, rocking back and forth as Oz continued to hold him.

"I have a question," Oz finally asked.

"Yeah…?"

"Do you think Tai needs a hug?"

Qrow looked across the way, saw Tai still staring at nothing. "He won't want one from me," he said, feeling better but still highly aware of what a fuck up he was.

The arms pulled away and Qrow almost whined for the loss, but he turned and finally looked Oz in the eye. They were gold in this light. "I get the impression," he said, "That he won't be too particular about who hugs him right now."

Qrow blinked slowly, turned and looked again. Tai looked so lost… He got up, realized one leg was asleep, and hobbled over to his brother. He didn't say anything, just stood in front of him. He turned around, saw Oz working to his feet to join him, and their eyes met. He smiled, made a shooing gesture, and Qrow sat down next to Tai and put an arm around his shoulders. There was no reaction, but there was no rejection, either. He saw Oz cross his line of vision, talking quietly to the Belladonnas, and then he moved to sit next to Qrow again.

"Here," he said, "You dropped this."

In his hand Oz placed the five-year coin. So fucking close…. _Too_ close…

Tai hummed, coming aware, and he just about melted into Qrow, finally falling apart. Qrow didn't say anything - he didn't have the words like Oz did, but he didn't let go, either, held his brother even tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> draaaaaamaaaaaaa. And so Blake's story hits one of its peaks, and basically everyone has a bad day as a result - we merge Yang's two fights with Adam - you can't not have her run a bike over the guy - and instead of amputating an arm we break it as much as we dare. Adam isn't exactly running around with a red katana in this fic.
> 
> And somehow we take all that drama and then make it about Qrow and Oz. We don't mean to...? But a big event like this ripples out to everyone else, and Qrow in particular doesn't always make good decisions when he's hyper emotional. His heart's in the right place, it always is, but like Clover said in the last chapter - he'd kind of his own worst enemy, but before it goes too far he tries to call for help and that's how he gets Oz. And Oz does give him the one thing he needs most: he makes Qrow realize Yang is okay. And once his head's back on straight he can be there for Tai.
> 
> But we can finally, finally, start using Blakes POV, and we can really dig into the trauma she's just lived through. Don't think she's going to be forgotten about in our OzQrow high. Just... this is going to take a while to unpack.
> 
> Next chapter: The Bad Day continues - what, you didn't think Weiss was going to be completely left out of this nightmare, right?


	15. Chapter 15

Ruby was tired, but it was morning, Dad said, and they were finally allowed to see Yang. She rubbed her eyes, trying to fill in the gaps: Yang grabbing her bike and running, Dad calling 911, pacing about the house before driving to the hospital, falling asleep on the chair and dreaming about Uncle Qrow shouting… was Professor Ozpin there…? She shook her head, rubbing her eyes again. Dad was helping her up, and Uncle Qrow was there, arm around Dad's shoulder. That felt nice to see, they were never really physically affectionate, but she knew from experience that they both _loved_ hugs. She got up and followed both of them down a muddled series of halls.

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked, still fuzzy.

"Yang's out of ER now, honey," Dad said. "She's awake and we can visit her."

That perked her up, she felt her body awaken more, and she followed more earnestly. She thought she heard the distinct sound of a cane, and she turned her head to see Professor Ozpin leaving. Wait, then… was the dream real…?

She turned and followed again, catching up to her uncle and finding another nurses station. Dad talked to the person there, and Uncle Qrow was looking down before muttering, "Hey, sorry for before," and they moved down yet another hall and into a room.

"Dad! Uncle Qrow!"

"Yang!"

" _Ruby!_ "

Ruby all ran around the drawn curtain, ready to pounce on Yang's bed and hug her, but she skid to a halt to see her big sister looking so small on a hospital bed and then see her right arm puffed up in a cast that made it look three times as big as it was. What…?

She crawled up onto the bed instead of pounced on it, staring, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing.

"Does it… does it hurt?" she asked.

Yang shook her head. "Kinda, but not really, but it feels weird." She shook her head again. "I… don't know how to answer."

Ruby nodded, and Dad moved in to give her the gentlest of hugs, muttering about his baby dragon. Uncle Qrow was watching, too, and his face was between relieved and dark. Ruby could only guess what was going on through his head.

"Mr. Xiao Long?"

"Yes," Dad said, straightening. "Thank you so much, for taking care of my little girl."

"She's a bundle of energy," the nurse said, in scrubs and a hair net. "We're sorry it took so long to get you in here. We were flooded last night with that accident on the highway."

"Yeah," Uncle Qrow said, his voice low and his eyes down. "It's understandable. What can you tell us?"

The nurse smiled, and it was the soft kind of smile that looked a little like forgiveness. Ruby wondered what that was about. "It was a compound fracture," she said, "The humerus was hit with such force it snapped. When she came in part of the bone was protruding from the skin. There was of course also hematoma from all the damage, but she was very lucky."

"People keep telling us that," Dad said. "Do we know what happened?"

The nurse paused before saying, "I assume you'll be getting a call at some point today, if the police haven't already spoken to you."

Dad rubbed his face. "They spoke to me, but I wasn't really in a place to hear it," he admitted.

"Did they leave a card?" Uncle Qrow asked, making Dad search his pockets.

"How is Blake?"

Ruby turned to her sister, and her eyes were low, looking at nothing. "Is she okay? Did… did she make it?"

Ruby felt a heavy silence, and she curled a little closer to Yang, afraid to hear the news.

The nurse gave another soft smile, this one understanding. "I'm not allowed to talk about other patients," she said gently, "but I think I can say that she did make it."

"When can I see her?"

"Yang…" Dad started to say.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I need to see her. I need to know… I need to see her."

"Well, that won't be for a while," the nurse said, not unkindly, before turning her attention back to Dad and Uncle Qrow. "We'll want to keep her for another day or two. We have to schedule the surgery to reattach her bones, then set them and cast them. O.R. is full with the highway accident but we should get something either late today or tomorrow…"

"Ruby," Yang whispered, and she leaned in to listen to her sister. "Do you think you can find her?"

Ruby wasn't sure, but, "I'll try," she said.

Carefully, she slipped off the bed and snuck behind her dad as the nurse spoke, then behind her uncle and around the nurse... then… she was in the clear. She stared at the room number and worked the numbers in her head so she could find her way back, then traced her way to the nurses station. "Excuse me," she said, "My sister wants to know what room her friend is. She knows she can't visit but she just wants to know where she is."

The nurse smiled but shook her head. Frowning, Ruby circled around the nurses station, looking at the doors and wondering how she could find Blake for Yang. She saw two people in police uniform, and she figured since Halloween was over that probably meant they were real. She moved up to them carefully and stood in front of them, politely waiting.

"Yes?" one of the officers said.

"My sister's in here," she said, "because she was trying to protect her friend Blake. But no one's said if Blake was okay, because a lot kind of happened. Is this her room?"

The two officers looked to each other and smiled, one of them silently elected as spokesman.

"We're not at liberty to say," he said softly. "But she's been through an awful lot. What number is her friend? I know she wants to know."

Ruby gave them Yang's room number, and wondered if that was enough. She tried to peer through the door, and she did see the giant silhouette of Mr. Belladonna. Then there was a small lull in the noise of the hospital, and Ruby heard Blake's distinct voice.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She was sobbing.

Ruby's eyes watered on the spot, and she started to go in to comfort her friend, but the two officers stopped her. The spokesman said, gently, "this really isn't a good time. Come by later."

"Come on, I'll take you back to your sister," the other officer said, and Ruby was forced to go back to her room. She moved back in but the nurse was gone, and so was Uncle Qrow. Dad was there, though, sitting on the bed and talking quietly to Yang.

"They wouldn't let me see her," Ruby said, sullen.

Yang immediately straightened. "But was she okay?"

"Your friend has been through a lot, young lady," the officer said, pulling out a notebook. "So have you. Broke your funny bone, I heard."

Yang blinked. "Wait, this is my funny bone?"

"It is the 'humerus,' right?"

The joke lingered, Ruby and her family wanted to laugh, but the mood just wasn't there, and an awkward pause stretched out.

"Young lady, a lot of things happened last night. Is it okay if I ask you to tell me what you remember?"

"Ruby," Dad said, "Find Uncle Qrow, okay?"

"But Dad-"

"Now Ruby. You can hear the story later."

"... Okay." She gave one last look to Yang, a little afraid to leave when she was wrapped in that giant… _thing_ … around her arm, but she went back into the hall and to the nurses station. She didn't see Uncle Qrow, and asked the nurse there where he went. The nurse pointed and Ruby went down the hall, snaking though some more nurses - or were they called orderlies - and finding a set of double doors that looked familiar. On the other side was the waiting room of the ER and Ruby suddenly knew exactly where she was. Uncle Qrow was over where they had been waiting, and there was Professor Ozpin! It wasn't a dream!

"... At least it's only a compound fracture," the professor was saying. "My leg was shattered in the accident - I believe it's called comminuted - in two separate places from the bumper of the car. The doctors said I'd lost something like three percent of my bone because it was scattered everywhere in my leg. Two pieces are by nerves, which is part of the reason why walking hurts so much. Yang is very lucky it sounds like."

"Yeah…"

Ruby finally arrived and snuck in to hug her uncle. She had firmly decided that everyone needed hugs after this and she was going to have to up her quota. Uncle Qrow put an arm around her shoulders instinctively and squeezed. "Hey, pipsqueak. Why are you out here?"

"The police are with Dad and Yang, and he didn't want me there."

"Got it," he said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Ruby answered. "I mean, I think I am. The scary part's over, Yang's okay, and the police will catch the guy who did this, so…" Her face fell. "I'm worried about Blake though. I didn't see her, but I heard her, and all she said was 'I'm sorry,' and it sounded like she was crying."

"That's to be expected," Professor Ozpin said gently. "She's been through something very hard, and it affects everyone differently. She will need her friends and family quite a bit for the next few months."

"Professor, I was meaning to ask, how did you know to come here?"

Professor Ozpin smiled. "A dusty old crow texted me," he said, "and I wanted to help my friends."

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "Don't you think you're more than friends if you and Uncle Qrow are dating?"

The adults both smiled, but Ruby noticed her uncle's smile was a little different than the normal one he had when talking about the professor, almost but not quite sadder. "Let me ask you something pipsqueak, Yang biked all the way to Dust to help Blake. Does that mean she's more than friends with her?"

"Yes," Ruby said firmly. "But Yang hasn't figured that out yet, and I don't know what Blake thinks about it."

"Smart as a button, this one," Uncle Qrow said, squeezing her shoulders. "Knows Yang better than Yang knows herself. We're still waiting for her to come out."

"I've come to learn that both of your nieces are quite perceptive," Professor Ozpin said, and he offered Ruby a smile. "Though I must confess, Miss Rose, that I am slightly put out that you all seem to have some kind of betting pool on my love life."

Ruby blinked. "Wait. There's a betting pool?"

"It would appear so, including you, your sister, your father, and your uncle's sponsor."

"Clover's not in on it. Well, probably. Maybe." Uncle Qrow made a face. "I hate that guy."

"I think you're the only one not invested in pairing me off," the professor said easily. "Regardless, it's good to know that - for now - everything turned out alright. Now that I know that I'll be departing. I have a long explanation to give to a particularly unyielding son, and I expect several forms of retribution as a result."

"Hey," Uncle Qrow said. "Thanks again. There's a very small number of people who would drop everything and come here, and almost all of them are on the other side of that door."

The professor smiled. "It was nothing, truly. Anyone would do it."

"Not anyone, and that's the point." Uncle Qrow released Ruby and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Oz and aaaaaaaww, he was hugging someone! Ruby watched in rapt attention as the professor froze, surprised, before smiling and returning the gesture. His face was soft, the same way Dad's was when he was talking about Mom or watching her and Yang, the same way Uncle Qrow's was when he was in a good mood, and Ruby wished very suddenly that she had her phone for a picture to show Yang. It was heartwarming.

"All right, pipsqueak, let's see if we can find something to eat in this joint."

* * *

Weiss looked at her list and frowned.

_Clothes (5 days) - Underwear (5 days) - Brush - Comb - Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, chapstick) - Technology (laptop, phone, chargers, harddrive, wireless internet) - Important Papers (checkbook, bank statements, social security card, birth certificate, medical history) - School (notebooks, textbooks, backpack, gym clothes?) Personal (pictures? books? ….?_

Things with her father were getting intolerable. She was having a harder and harder time holding her tongue against the usual diatribe her father would spout when he came home angry from another protest or from reporters hounding him about rumors of some misconduct somewhere in the company or scandal or the election or something. Weiss didn't listen to the news when her father would come home and rant and rave and she didn't like it being discussed in Civics either.

It was worse because she didn't have her friends at the moment. Blake and Yang were still in the hospital from Halloween last week, Yang recovering from surgery for her arm and Blake recovering from being _stabbed_. Blake was hiding in her room, and when Winter was able to spirit her to the hospital to visit, Blake refused to see anyone. Ruby was still in school, but Weiss knew she couldn't support her sister and family _and_ Weiss's drama. But it made going home so much _harder_.

And it was election night. Her father, despite all the negativity, had been home all day preening about his upcoming victory. Weiss couldn't stand it.

Which was why she had a list. If Winter had enough to sue for custody, then Weiss planned on leaving in a hurry, so she needed to be ready. A lot of it was already in her room and ready to go. She had her suitcase and gym bag in her closet in easy access. She had started storing her toiletries in her room, and her technology was neatly arranged on her desk so that it would be easy to unplug and throw into a bag. Weiss's closet was already very organized, so it would be easy to grab enough clothes for a few days. It was the important papers that was a problem.

Her checkbook she kept in her room. Her father insisted that once they were all ten, they would have and keep a checking account. Allowances were deposited there for pocket money and they had to learn how to spend and save appropriately. But all the rest? That was in her father's study and she couldn't get them. She had researched custody cases and they could be long and drawn out. The longer her father had those documents, Weiss was scared he'd hold on to them and not let her go because of it.

She frowned and put the list back in it's hiding spot in her suitcase.

With a deep breath, Weiss looked in the mirror and pasted on a smile that was harder and harder to stick. She had to survive dinner with her father and several of his supporters. It was only a few hours. Then her father would insist she get to bed for school the next morning. Whitley would be allowed to stay up and take the day off tomorrow to catch up on sleep. Her jaw clenched, but she still walked demurely downstairs.

Her mother had a glass of wine in hand and Weiss was absolutely certain it wasn't her first. Or second. Whitley was hanging by her father's elbows as the caterer's he'd hired served from the buffet. Weiss waited off to the side, well away from her father, by the piano.

She should have known better.

Her father saw her, smiled his winsome smile and strolled over, dragging the people he was talking to with him. "Of course, you've met my lovely daughter, Weiss." She curtseyed on cue, smile in place. "She's very musically inclined. Sweetie, why don't you sing for us?"

Definitely a tight jaw. She dipped her head. "Father, won't that interfere with hearing the election results? It's still an hour until polling closes."

"Exactly," her father replied with all cheer. "We won't get our victory until later anyway. Give us a song now." And he Looked at her.

Oh yes. _Definitely_ a tight jaw. Painfully so. But she nodded as she was supposed to and sat at the piano.

"...no sheet music….that's talent right there….."

"... didn't know she could sing…."

"... absolutely delightful….

"...be donating to reelection if his parties are like this….pretty young thing…"

Weiss took a deep breath and focused.

" _Mirror, Mirror…_ "

Hmmm. Perhaps Professor Ozpin was correct about her parallels with Snow White.

And it made her father frown that she chose this song. Back when Winter was in college, she'd had to take a GER class and had chosen song composition. Winter had written this song. Her partner did the music. Naturally, Winter had shared it and Weiss had immediately learned it as fast as she could. The fact that it started all smooth and sophisticated and then dropped into rock was just the _ideal_ choice. Her father couldn't interrupt her, not without seeming like a fool since he had suggested it. It was another small way of rebelling, like wearing her hair to the side.

She finished to applause, and she gave a more genuine smile. Tainted as this was, Weiss _did_ enjoy singing and music.

She turned and offered another curtsy. And of course, before anyone could request a song, her father came over to give a hug, as expected. "My daughter is a delight, isn't she? Still, we should probably pay attention to the polls. Even if they haven't closed, tallies are being made."

Yup, Weiss had made him mad. _Good_. Then she shook her head. The whole point was to _not_ make him mad. That's how she had gotten this far. But she cared less and less for his feelings on things. She wondered why. Therapy? Knowing Winter was going to fight for custody? The support that her friends had been for the last year?

Weiss reminded herself that she was supposed to be in the woodwork right now and _not_ get in the way. With her father and the supporters gathering by the television, she slid to the buffet. _Food at last_. Granted, eating at these functions wasn't about enjoying so much as enduring her father and making sure he didn't get angry, so food tended to make her stomach turn, but she knew she needed the nutrition.

"I liked that song," one of the caterers said quietly.

"Thank you," Weiss said sincerely. "And thank you for all your work. I know it's your job, but I appreciate it."

"Aw, thanks, kid. That's sweet."

She smiled and stayed by a wall to eat her dinner. And maybe go back for more sweets.

Once the polls closed, the news kept reporting tallies and percentages. Nothing would be fully tallied until much later, and with her father running for such a small, local office, it wasn't getting the same coverage. But Weiss knew her father had big plans. This election was just a stepping stone.

Her mother swayed by and attempted to talk to her.

"Mother," Weiss let out a heavy sigh. "Let's get you to bed."

"But tonightsss... important…"

"I'll tell Father you're not feeling well."

"Jussssst lemme get shhhhome wine…"

"You've had enough, Mother," Weiss said, gently pulling her along.

"Don't be mean 'ta me, 'm your mosther…."

"Yes, Mother."

And like she always did, Weiss put her mother to bed. She went to her room just to check the mirror and make sure everything was in place, and headed back downstairs. Her father was at the couch, Whitley beside him, supporters around him, checking phones for poll updates, discussing strategies for when her father was in office, etc. Her father hadn't even noticed her mother leaving. That wasn't a surprise.

So Weiss let out a very long, very silent sigh and took a seat at the counter. She didn't pull out her phone so that she looked attentive, and prepared to die of boredom until her father sent her to bed.

"...can't wait for Jaques to get in…."

"...course his family is here…."

"...the oldest isn't…."

"...back in California setting up something for Atlas…"

"...like Jaques' promises…. save money once he's in…."

"...hear his tax reforms…. won't have to pay to accomodate disabled anymore…."

Professor Ozma immediately sprung to Weiss's mind and she started scanning the supporters.

"...not my fault they get injured…. why should I pay for them….."

"...know….you can't work, that's not my problem….."

Ruby, holding back tears as she explained that Yang might never be able to use her arm again. Jaw tight, Weiss stood.

"Exactly, just do your job right, and you won't get hurt."

Weiss walked right up to the man. "You can leave," she said icily, reaching for how her sister could act. She kept her back straight and her arms behind her back.

"Excuse me?"

"I said you could leave," she repeated calmly. "I am the heiress of the Schnee Construction Company. If you can't have basic human empathy for people injured outside of their control, you can get out."

"Listen, girl-"

"I said _leave_!"

Voices quieted, people were starting to stare at her, but Weiss didn't pick up on it.

"No spoiled child will-"

" _You_ don't get it. _You've_ never had to suffer. _You've_ never had to work harder than everyone else to get less. Therefore, _you_ don't get to talk. Now _leave_."

"Now see _here_ , young lady-"

"Ah, Weiss, you're clearly tired," her father cut in. "It's time for you to go to bed."

"Father-"

He gripped her wrist. "Come, I'll help you get settled." He turned to his supporters. "Sorry, my friends, you know how delicate young girls can be."

" _Father!_ "

As he walked he gently, but firmly pushed her along. Weiss held her jaw tightly, _refusing_ to make a scene and followed along up to her bedroom. Once inside, her father shut the door behind them.

"Young lady, _what do you think you're doing_?" he hissed at her.

Weiss knew what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to apologize, offer an excuse for her behavior, and start placating him.

Weiss didn't do what she was supposed to do.

"That man was _insulting_ disabled people like Professor Ozma, who is one of the most brilliant philosophers in the field. Or Stephen Hawking, who has pushed math and physics to their very limits, or-"

" _I don't care_ ," her father growled. "Why did you do that to a _supporter_? We are supposed to present a united front-"

"Oh please, you don't want a united front you want puppets-"

" _You are grounded_. This angsty teenage rebellion of yours is over. If you can't be responsible for your actions, we'll withdraw you and put you into a boarding school. _That_ will straighten you up. You are _not_ to be a disgrace to this family."

Her father towered over her and Weiss had had enough.

"You don't care about this family," Weiss retorted. "You only married into this family for Grandfather's money and the family name. You're so greedy you-"

He slapped her.

Wide-eyed, Weiss struggled to process what just happened. A trembling hand came up to her cheek, but it stung so badly, she couldn't touch it.

"You are done, daughter."

Her father was still speaking, and Weiss turned to look, but she wasn't really hearing him.

"Tomorrow, after I've won, we're going to find a very nice, very far away military school for you."

"You can't do that!" Weiss said shakily, trying to keep up when her _face was still stinging_ because of all inconceivable things _her father had hit her_. "I'm the heiress, how would the press-"

"Ex-heiress, daughter," her father said flatly. "You are not my heir anymore. Whitley will be. God knows, he's been better at it than you."

" _What_?"

"Good night, daughter."

He left.

Weiss collapsed onto her bed, crying. _No! Don't take away school! The one place I'm free!_ Everything about the night hit her all at once, and she sobbed for a good long while. _Whywhywhywhywhywhy….._ After she was out of tears, she looked around and sighed. She was numb. Her mind was too full. So she grabbed a book and sat down to read.

Shortly afterward, Whitley came in. "You know not to upset Father," he said snidely.

"That's impossible," she replied, turning a page.

"I don't get him mad."

Weiss offered a flat look. "Mother takes the brunt of it. When she was here Winter took the rest of it. Then she got into Berkeley. I'm taking the rest of it now. When I graduate, it'll be your turn."

Whitley waved that away. "That's four years from now. I'll only have a few years left before I leave. Besides, I don't antagonize him."

She sighed. "Whitley, you can't appease father all the time without destroying yourself. Winter realized that when she finally got away from him. I'm realizing it now. Father can't ever be satisfied."

"You're the one antagonizing him," he said. "I don't. We both know better."

Weiss looked hard at her brother. "I don't care what Father thinks anymore. I don't care about trying to placate him and appease him. I don't care if something I want upsets him. I want to be happy. Don't _you_ want to be happy?"

"I am."

"You're not. Now get out."

Whitley shook his head and left.

* * *

Weiss was _determined_. She stayed by her door with it open a crack, listening carefully. Polling always took time to tally and close polls could sometimes take weeks to tally across the country. But her father was looking at a local race. If it was close, it might take into the next day. But the sounds coming from downstairs weren't good. The few whispers she could hear mentioned that her father was behind. Then about how far a gap he was behind. And then there was discussion on when he should call to concede his defeat.

A very dark part of her took delight that he had tanked at the election and by a huge amount.

Good.

She made sure her laptop was off and set the alarm on her phone and went to bed. She was going to need some rest.

At three a.m. her alarm went off and she quickly silenced it and turned her phone off. Poking her head out the hall, the house was quiet. Father had probably just gone to bed.

With great care and as much silence as she could, Weiss started to pack. All her school things went into her backpack. Clothes and toiletries were stuffed into her suitcase. Everything else went into her gym bag. She carefully went through her room, checking against her list and seeing if anything else caught her eye to grab.

Nodding to herself, Weiss carefully brought each bag down to the back door, one at a time so she didn't overbalance and make any sort of noise. On the kitchen table she left a note.

_Call Winter_.

In the garage she looked at her bike, then at her bags.

Nope, that wasn't going to work. She'd have to walk. So she grabbed a flashlight and very carefully balanced her backpack and gymbag, pulled out the handle of her suitcase, and set off. It would take two hours to cross town to where the Xiao Long family was, but Weiss was fine with that. She'd arrive, drop her things off, and go to school. She'd go home with Ruby. Hopefully she'd have a chance to call Winter, but she _wouldn't_ use _her_ phone for that. She didn't want her father finding her that way.

It was a long walk in the dark. Her flashlight helped on the private roads and by five a.m. when she was going through downtown, people were awake and on their way to work. She kept her hood down and just kept walking. She stayed to well lit streets and avoided Dust, where Yang and Blake had been attacked, by five blocks.

Weiss was getting tired. She hadn't had much sleep and she hadn't had time to study for the quiz they were going to have in Geometry. Still, she may not ace it, but she'd probably get a B and then do corrections? There had been a rumor that History might have a pop quiz, but she didn't know how much she believed that…

She paused on Main Street, taking a deep breath. Glancing around, she pulled down her scarf and stared at the donut shop on the corner…. But shook her head. She didn't want anyone seeing her. So she squared her aching shoulders, moved her wheeled suitcase to her other hand and shifted her gym bag and started off again.

It was six a.m. when she finally turned onto the correct street, her feet and shins were shooting stabbing pains up her legs, she was hunched forward with all the weight she was carrying, her back ached, her hand was almost permanently disfigured into clutching her suitcase, and the chilly morning just seemed to have completely soaked into her.

At six fifteen, she worked to get her heavy feet up the front steps, drag her suitcase up with both hands, and let out a heavy sigh before ringing the doorbell.

There wasn't much noise inside. Yang was still in the hospital after all, so it was just Mr. Xiao Long and Ruby, but that was fine. She just needed to drop off her stuff, hopefully call Winter, and get to school. She could catch some sleep on the bus.

Weiss tiredly rang the doorbell again. Hmm, what else was on her to-do list? Her mind was so numb right now…. Quiz. History. No, Geometry? No, the pop-quiz was in Geometry and the quiz was in History. Or was it Science? Ergh, she was just so tired.

And where was Ruby? Were they at the hospital?

Weiss just wanted to sit down. Lie down. Let her bags drop, but she didn't dare because she wouldn't be able to put them back on again if she did.

Think, Weiss, think. Numb brains not allowed!

If Ruby wasn't here, if they were at the hospital, she'd have to walk to…. Who was closer, Mr. Qrow or Professor Ozpin?

She couldn't think…..

Weiss rang the doorbell again. "Ruby! Please, just answer the door! You have to be here!"

There was a stumble sound inside, then pounding steps.

The door opened in a _whoosh_ and Ruby was there, toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, wide-eyed. "Weiss?"

She saw Mr. Xiao Long turn a corner in the house and he looked surprised.

"Good morning?" Weiss waved, trying to straighten to be polite. Once she did, her bags fell off her back.

"Ummmmm."

"Ruby, don't just stand there, let her in! Take her bags!"

Weiss was ushered in, and _ahhhh_ , it was warm in here. She was gently guided to the couch, she couldn't even say by who, and she figured she could just… lie down for a second…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to proof read, because there are pieces in this story that connect directly to our lives. Once in a while you just wake up and realize you can't stay in a bad place anymore, and you leave. Weiss was smart enough to make a plan, but this is a huge, huge, HUGE thing for her to do. And like with Blake last chapter, will ripple through the rest of the fic as a result.
> 
> Now half of RWBY is traumatized. Geez, we promise we didn't mean to... But the one-two punch sets a couple of things up for us later.
> 
> Honestly there isn't much to say, this chapter kind of speaks for itself. In the meantime we echo election night of season 7 but use a different tragedy: Weiss' escape. And wow, Tai suddenly has a lot on his plate.
> 
> Also, Ruby has hug quotas. This entertains us to no end.
> 
> Next chapter: Wow Tai has a lot on his plate, the chapter :)


	16. Chapter 16

Tai moaned as he called work to say he wouldn't be in. He's already taken several days off with Yang, and the small security firm was very understanding, but between that, his vacation at the lakehouse over the summer, and the time he took off normally when the girls were sick, he knew he didn't have very many days left to take off, and he silently prayed he could make it to the end of the year so his sick days could reset.

Weiss had fallen asleep as soon as she sat on the couch, three bags of _stuff_ shouting from on high that she had run away from home and Tai had been left holding the proverbial bag. Ruby and Yang wanted to stay home with Weiss but he didn't _dare_ , not if Jacques Schnee figured out where Weiss was and came with police - his girls had been through enough, _thank you_ , the last thing they needed was Jacques freakin' Schnee traipsing around.

After he'd kicked them to the school bus he'd draped a blanket over Weiss that she curled into, went down the hall to his room, and texted Winter:

_Weiss Ran Away From Home And Is Sleeping On My Couch. CALL ME._

It was three in the morning on the west coast, there was no way she was going to answer quickly… After that was a message to Qrow who was just getting off shift to tell him what happened.

_You want me to come over?_

_Yes. In Case Things Get Hairy_.

_You know my being there with my luck triggers hairy, right?_

_Qrow, You Don't Have Bad Luck, You Have Disaster Energy. We've Been Through This Before. Get Over Yourself And Get HERE._

Unsure what to do next, he debated for all of half a second on calling the Schnee house to say Weiss was with him before brutally shoving that idea out the window. Schnee would descend with cops and accusations of kidnapping and manipulation and whatever else came to mind and Tai didn't need a lawsuit when his girls were still dealing with _assault charges_ on a messed up boyfriend. Geez, where did all the drama even come from? It just appeared out of nowhere!

Sighing, Tai took a breath and settled himself, deciding instead to make breakfast for Weiss and dinner for Qrow when he came over. Back to the kitchen he went, pouring cereal and setting up bowls and spoons. Back into the living room he went, and Weiss was curled almost into a ball on the couch, her face stuffed into a corner. Fourteen and she looked so small. Whatever happened had to have been big for her to decide to run away, and he shuddered to think what it was. He pulled the blanket up higher and carefully grabbed her bags. One was full of school stuff, one with clothes, and the other with toiletries - she'd obviously been planning this for a while. He texted Winter saying as much, including a picture, and sat in the recliner. He pulled out his phone and skimmed the news, seeing that the elections were almost tallied and… Schnee lost the race.

That would do it.

Sighing through his nose, he got up and moved Weiss' bags to the girls' room. Might as well get started on the laundry.

Qrow came in through the back door at the kitchen some time later, Tai quickly motioning him to be quiet.

"She must have walked here," he whispered. "It must have taken hours."

"If she went through downtown, she took a big risk," Qrow said softly, hands in his pockets. "Some of those streets are mean at night."

"I wasn't going to ask," Tai said. "She looked like a ghost. Fell asleep five minutes after sitting down."

Qrow nodded, his own eyes dark from being up all night. "You expecting a siege?" he asked.

Tai shrugged his shoulders. "I won't know anything until Winter calls," he replied. "But Schnee's not an idiot. He knows Weiss is friends with the girls and it doesn't take much to realize she doesn't have a lot of places to go besides us."

Qrow nodded. "We playing dumb?"

Tai spread his hands. He really wouldn't know until Winter called.

Qrow frowned, but nodded again, pulling his shoes off. "I'll sleep in your room. If anything happens I don't mind playing guarddog."

Tai nodded. "Your disaster energy will help," he said. "Right now I have to be free for Winter. It's four on the west coast right now. It'll be awhile before she gets the text."

"Got it. Wake me when something happens." He pulled off his shirt and unbuckled his belt, and Tai made a face.

"We have a sleeping fourteen year old here!" he whispered.

"Sleeping being the operative word," Qrow said, moving down the hall, acting like he didn't have a care in the world.

Tai took his seat back in the living room, this time with his laptop so he could at least _pretend_ to get work done. Time whiled away while he checked and answered emails, posted notifications on his sick day, and started to set himself up for the day. He sank into his work and startled when his phone vibrated. Winter.

"She's still asleep," he whispered once he picked up. He got up and moved down the hall, to the girls' room so he could have some privacy. "Okay," he said, "We can talk."

" _What happened?_ " Winter demanded.

"I don't know," Tai said. "News said Schnee lost the election by double digits. She just showed up on our doorstep at six fifteen with three bags of clothes and stuff. She thought she could just drop it off and go to school, but the walk must have taken two hours at least."

" _She_ walked _?_ "

"Yes."

" _... What time is it over there?_ "

Tai looked at the clock over Yang's bed. "Quarter of eight," he said.

"... _Wake her up. Put her on the phone._ "

Oof, that was the Ice Queen voice. "Okay," he said, moving back down the hall to Weiss. He lowered the phone and leaned over, touching Weiss' shoulder and shaking it. "Weiss?" he said softly. "Your sister's on the phone."

The Schnee heiress mumbled something, curling into herself before stretching and sitting up, rubbing her face and then her eyes. It was obvious she didn't quite remember where she was until her eyes locked onto Tai and his phone. Then her brain snapped awake, and Tai offered his phone. "Winter? Yes. Yes. _No_ , I did _not._ "

Tai backed off, grabbing his laptop and realizing he would have to work in the girls' room if he wanted to give Weiss privacy. Should've made Qrow sleep there instead…

The call lasted almost an hour, Tai could hear Weiss occasionally, some out of context sentence or word, but mostly he was working on his projects and emailing his team and pretending his day hadn't been completely upended. He only had one more sick day after this, if Yang or Ruby got sick he'd have to have Qrow take off of work and they were way less forgiving over there. Tai scratched his head, forced himself to remember he couldn't worry over something he didn't have control over. Worrying was partly why he tended to shut down and no one needed that right now. Big Dad Energy, as Qrow called it, required him to actually _act_ like a dad.

"Mr. Xiao Long?"

Tai looked up. "Yes, Weiss?"

"Winter wants to talk to you," she said. Her nose was read, and Tai _ached_ for her. She handed the phone over and Tai took it, closing his laptop.

"Let me guess," he said, "I now have marching orders?"

" _Of a kind,_ " Winter said. " _I know how Father works. He won't do anything for twenty-four hours if he knows she's there, because then he can say you've kidnapped her._ "

"Did she leave a note?"

" _Yes, saying to call me with no explanation._ "

Tai winced. "Has he? Called, I mean?"

" _Not yet, but he will. I have to move fast. I've just finished booking the first flight back, and I have to call Robyn Hill and her team and step up our plans. What I need from you is to take Weiss to the Belladonnas_."

"Blake's family? Why?"

" _Because they're in charge of the protests of Schnee Construction, and they've been working with Ms. Hill. They're not neutral, but they're more neutral than you or Professor Ozma, and it makes Weiss' decision to run away look principled and political instead of childish and immature. They will contact police and start filing abuse charges._ "

"Abuse?" Tai said, a little incredulous.

" _Yes. The filing will take a while, and by then I'll be there and I can take over. It will also help with the protests when words gets out that Father's own daughter isn't immune to his abuses._ "

Tai straightened, getting to his feet and pacing around the bedroom. "Hang on," he said, "back up. This sounds an awful lot like you're using Weiss. Explain this to me again?"

" _Ghira and Kali will explain. I don't have time. I need to finish packing and make my flight._ "

"But-!"

Winter hung up.

Of all the-! Grunting, Tai moved back to the kitchen. Weiss was sitting with her cereal, eating it mechanically. He took a deep breath and sat across from her. "Hey," he said softly. "How are you holding up?"

Weiss also took a deep breath, putting her head in a hand. "Running away was a rash and ill considered decision," she said, sounding like she was quoting her sister. Then she added, "But I would do it all again in a heartbeat. And I haven't figured out if that's okay or not."

Tai smiled. "If that's what you're feeling then it's absolutely okay," he said gently. "It must have been pretty bad to make you run away."

Weiss froze, spoon halfway to her mouth, and her nose turned red again as her eyes welled. She looked down quickly, sniffling, and composed herself. "A donor was saying that if Father was elected then he wouldn't have to pay disability," she said, tone flat. "All I could think about was Professor Ozma and how much he struggles with stairs. I told the donor to leave. Father didn't like that."

"I can only imagine," Tai said in a dry tone. Weiss smirked at the line, and Tai took the victory.

"He dismissed me and told me I wasn't the heiress anymore," the girl said. "He threatened to send me to military school if I didn't shape up. I got mad when I shouldn't have."

"Yes, you should have," Tai said, and Weiss looked up in surprise. "It might not have been _safe_ to get mad but you _absolutely_ had the _right_ to be mad. _I_ would be mad if my parents suddenly tried to take me away from Qrow, let alone truck me off to some kind of boarding military school. It's perfectly natural."

Weiss stared, somehow shocked to be told she had behaved normally, and Tai didn't think it was possible to hate Schnee any more, but he did, because it was _messed up_ to think that someone didn't have the right to defend oneself. Tai had learned that the hard way with Raven.

"I… might have mouthed off to him," Weiss confessed, cheeks going pink as she looked down.

"Trust me," Tai said, smiling, "Anyone would."

"I… I might have told him he only married my mother for her money."

Tai hissed a breath through his teeth. "Ouch," he said, "But probably so true."

Weiss sighed. "That was when he slapped me and disowned me."

Wait, _what_? "What?" Tai asked, eyes doubling in size.

"Uh… that was when he slapped me and disowned me?"

_That goddamned merciless sonnuva fucking bitch piece of-_

Tai took a long, slow, deep breath and let it out. "Weiss," he said carefully. "I don't like your father."

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand how screwed up a parent needed to be to _hit their child_. There was no excuse under the sun for that, and Tai realized it was _totally possible_ to hate the man more, and he wondered if there was a place in Winter's plan where he could give the guy a _piece of his mind_. He worked through the emotion in quick stages before leaning back. "Winter told me there was a plan. What did she say to you?"

Weiss nodded. "I didn't follow a lot of it because I haven't been read into the business as much as she has, but I get the gist of it. You have to take me to Mr. Belladonna, he knows what he's supposed to do. And maybe I can talk to Blake while I'm there. I haven't been able to see her…" her voice drifted off, and Tai quietly decided their three families had had enough drama for the next four years when this was all over.

"Finish your breakfast," he said. "Then we can get going."

He got up to find a piece of paper to leave a note for Qrow.

* * *

Blake stayed in her room. In her bed. In her misery.

Her side ached, every shift and twitch sent agony through her abdomen, but it was only what she deserved. She couldn't stand being in her own body, felt so dirty and stupid. She couldn't understand why her parents were still talking to her, trying to help her, not when she now so fully understood she was the _worst_ of people. She hated herself, and all she wanted to do was hide from the world.

Mom came in with a tray for breakfast, sitting next to her. "Blake," she said, "You have to go to school eventually."

"No, I don't," Blake answered, refusing to even look at her mother. "They all know what happened. They know what a coward I am. They know what a slut I am."

"Oh, honey, you're none of those things. You can't put that on yourself."

" _Yes I can_ ," Blake said, curling further into her bed away from her mom. "I'm _terrible_. I was stupid, and selfish, and _naive_ , and I said all of these terrible things!" She buried her face in her pillow. "How can you even stand to be in the same room as me?" she asked, she wanted to say it out loud but she was afraid of the answer, mumbled it into her pillow so her mother didn't hear it.

But Mom was Mom, and she stretched out on the bed, curling around her and hugging her through Blake's blankets. "I'm in the same room as you because I love you," she said, rubbing her nose into the back of Blake's neck. "Nothing will ever change that."

And Blake was so weak and selfish, she curled into the hug, and cried all over again.

She was so _sick_ of crying, but it was the only way her body could react to what had happened. She would wake up crying, she would go to sleep crying, she would cry even when food was put in front of her. The stupidest things turned her into a sobbing mess, and she _couldn't stand it_. She just wanted to forget it all, go back to the way things were when she first moved here, before she'd met Adam. Before she'd been so _stupid_.

"Kali…"

Mom turned slightly to talk to Dad, and Blake didn't even know what to do anymore.

"Now's not a good time, dear," Mom said.

"I know," Dad said, "But Winter just called. Something happened last night."

Winter? "Weiss' sister?" Blake asked, turning as well, looking at her father. She moved to sit up, but everything hurt, and she aborted the motion. "What's going on?"

Mom was already getting up. "So soon?" she was asking. "I thought they were going to wait."

"They were, but Weiss ran away last night."

" _What?_ " Blake shouted, surging to a sitting position and then immediately curling around the stitches. "What?" she said again. "She ran away? What did her father do? Did he hit her?"

Mom and Dad both were looking at her, wide eyed. Dad answered: "We don't know, honey. Mr. Xiao Long has her and is bringing her over."

_someone coming gonna see me see how stupid I was judge me hurt me_

"What? No! Don't bring her here!" Fear took over, Blake backed up on her bed, pressing herself against the headboard. "I don't want to see her!" Her mind was split - she desperately wanted to see Weiss, ask her what happened, wanted to help her, but she was just a desperately afraid of what Weiss would say, tell her how stupid and selfish she was, how everything was her fault. She couldn't take that, but she had sworn the night of the sleepover that they were family but she was afraid, but she wanted to help…!

Dad moved deeper into the room and reached out, Blake flinching but he only touched her shoulder, leaning in to gently kiss her forehead. She didn't deserve it, she didn't deserve the kindness, and fresh tears started to stream down her face as a new storm of emotion overtook her, and all she could do was sob pitifully, and she hated herself even more.

Later… she wasn't sure how much later but _later_ , she was lying in bed, and she heard voices downstairs. She opened her eyes and saw her parents were gone.

"... I'm so sorry that happened…"

"... did you bring her things?"

"... I gotta say, it sounds like she's being used…"

"I don't blame you, but…."

"... have to call Robyn Hill…"

"... may I please see Blake?"

Blake stiffened, and she pulled the blanket over her head, hiding the only way she could.

* * *

Weis was… tired to say the least. She felt like she had ten pound bags on her eyelids, everything hurt after walking to the Xiao Long's, Winter had told her a lot of things, but she wasn't exactly sure how much she remembered. It must have been noon when Mr. Xiao Long brought her over to the Belladonna's, and her brain clicked enough to realize _Blake!_ She could finally see Blake! She hadn't seen Blake since…. _before_ Halloween.

She had zoned out on the short car ride over, but she had certainly _not_ jerked awake when they stopped in the driveway. She got out and on autopilot, gone to get her bags before Mr. Xiao Long stopped her.

"You've carried this long enough."

Something seemed to have shredded all her defenses and she quickly had to look down before she started crying. _Damn exhaustion!_ Because it had to be exhaustion that had her holding down sobs.

She took a deep breath.

Then another.

Scrubbed her eyes.

Okay, _another_ deep breath.

And when Weiss looked up, she smiled. Mr. Xiao Long just looked sad. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long," she said as softly as she could so that her voice didn't waiver.

"You can call me Tai, Weiss." He hefted her gym bag over a shoulder. "Let's get you settled."

She nodded, not trusting her voice, and followed to the Belladonna house and rang the doorbell. Mr. Belladonna, a mountain of a man answered the door and for a brief second, Weiss felt scared looking up and up, before she shook that away.

"Hello, Weiss," he said softly. And with his fuzzy beard, wild hair, for a brief moment, Weiss pictured some sort of panther as he knelt down to her level. "Welcome. We're very honored to have you here."

"I…" She hesitated, trying to bring her brain online enough for the proper greetings. "Thank you for having me. I'm grateful that you're willing to take me in after my rash and ill-considered decision."

He smiled and reached up to ruffle his already wild hair. "It's clear you've had a long conversation with your sister."

Weiss smiled.

"Come in."

She stepped in and Mr. Belladonna guided them upstairs to a guest room. Weiss started at Blake's closed door as they went by it. Mr. Tai set down her bags and Weiss started to unzip and pull out her belongings.

Mr. Tai and Mr. Belladonna were talking, but Weiss wasn't listening. That bed was freshly made and it was calling her, but she was going to be polite and unpack her things. Mostly so she knew where everything was. Clothes first, the closet was clearly storage for things, but the hanger space was clear. Toiletries went to the dresser, she could sort them later, school things stayed in the backpack, underwear would be taken care of once she was alone. That pillow looked _so_ inviting…

But first thing's first.

"May I please see Blake?"

She hadn't seen Blake since before Halloween and the assault. She hadn't seen Yang. She had seen Ruby briefly this morning, but they'd barely said anything to each other. Weiss _needed_ one of her friends right now. She could feel tears starting up _again_ , but she blinked them away. "I _miss_ her," she said softly.

Mr. Belladonna hesitated, and Mrs. Belladonna (when did she arrive? ...exhaustion _sucks_ ….) looked to each other. Mrs. Belladonna stepped forward and gently embraced Weiss. "You've been through a lot, sweetie," she said softly. "Blake is resting right now, and you should too. Let's get your sleep rhythm sorted out and your brain functional so that you can absorb all the love and support you want."

_Damnit! Crying again!_

And she couldn't hold it down.

She just started wailing, and sobbing, and she couldn't stop it.

"There, there," Mrs. Belladonna said. "I know…. It's okay…. Let it all out…."

Weiss was sure she was hyperventilating, and she just kept sobbing and hiccuping, and crying and wailing. She eventually found herself on the bed, Mrs. Belladonna holding her tight like she dimly remembered her mother doing before, and she just cried all the more.

Somewhere, during all this crying… she fell asleep.

* * *

Tai walked with Ghira downstairs to the living room.

"So, because the Schnee family are public figures, and with the protests and the elections, Winter has to use the public to get things properly on her side?" He shook his head. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't ever remember any famous people having big public custody cases. So why are we using the media to manipulate things?"

Ghira gave a harsh laugh. "I'll give that Winter child credit, she understands public perception." A massive hand slapped Tai's shoulder. "I am a community organizer and protestor. I understand that in order to have systemic change and, more importantly, the _support_ for systemic change, one must always appear peaceful, as well as firm. When protests turn to riots, the press no longer talks about _why_ you're protesting, they're talking about rioting. It's why I spend all day at the protests at the Schnee Company. I have to make sure everyone stays in control and doesn't devolve into rioting and looting. They have a right to be angry. We _all_ have a right to be angry with _Jaques Schnee_ , and we _should_ be angry at the bastard, but we must never sink down to his level. We want support, so we want people talking about _why_ we're protesting."

Tai offered a baleful look as they sat down in the living room. Upstairs, Tai could still hear Weiss sobbing. "Forgive me, but what does all that have to do with an upset child who's been pushed to her limits?"

Ghira shook his head. "Winter is making sure she gets custody in an unusual, but very likely successful manner."

Tai's look flattened. "By publicizing the custody argument? Weiss is a minor."

"No," Ghira said with a heavy sigh. "She's making her father look like the unreasonable asshole he is. The courts will side with her when she shows up with all the data she's been collecting. Add onto that the view the public will have of the _esteemed_ Mr. Schnee, and private or not, the judge will side with her."

"And bringing that terrified little girl here?"

"Rumor mongering for the protesters. When they hear that even Jacque's own _children_ can't stand him…."

Tai sighed. "They'll be more angry and more demanding."

"Then Winter sweeps in, listens to them, and sues her father."

"Instant public support."

Ghira nodded. "All without Weiss ever being mentioned. She won't be exposed to any of it. She'll just stay here till Winter can take her."

"She doesn't live in town." Tai sunk forward, rubbing his hands over his face. "My girls have been relying on Weiss since… Halloween. At least Ruby has. Yang would be to, since she's back at school today."

"With Weiss now here."

Tai nodded. "And Blake? She's still refusing to see anyone?"

Ghira nodded sadly. "That boy has been twisting her for some time. She thinks everything is her fault."

Tai balked. "Last I checked, she's a _child_. He's an _adult_. She's not responsible-"

"He has her convinced that much of her life is horrible and that only he could fix it."

"That…. That sounds like…"

Ghira's face turned dark. "Like he was grooming her. Yes." Then he growled like a panther. "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'm going to probably forget everything I was just saying about public perception and protests."

Tai offered his own dark smile. "I'm feeling that way as well. And the same way towards Jaques Schnee. If we find anyone else harassing our children, I'm sure it will come up again."

Ghira gave a viscous look. "Tell me, decapitation or bisection?"

Barking out a laugh, Tai shook his head. "Too quick. Break every bone first. Starting with the ones in the inner ear."

"Ahh, now that's an interesting thought."

"If we're going to fantasize about slicing these bastards into little bitty pieces, we'll have to call my brother. In-law. He's the creative one."

* * *

Weiss woke up slowly, wondering where she was. It wasn't her room, the bed was the wrong size, it didn't smell right, it was too light… _Hrghnnnn light… bad…._ She rolled over hoping to get away from the light in her eyes and go back to sleep, but now that she was thinking, she was wondering why everything was different, and if she was wondering that, she was thinking back to figure out why she was here and….

Oh.

She let out a long sigh. Fumbling for her watch, she pulled it over and checked the time. Midafternoon. Well, at least she wouldn't have to worry about the sun in her eyes in the morning. She got up and just _ached_. She didn't stretch after that loooong walk this morning and she was feeling it. Blinking, she also realized she felt disgusting. Her face was salty with dried tear tracks, and was she sweating when she walked to Mr. Xiao- Mr. Tai's place? She felt itchy like she'd been sweating. But she remembered being so cold…

Weiss shook her head. If her mind was this awake, it would be better to do something to distract herself. Automatically she reached for her phone… then hesitated. She didn't know if her father knew where she was or not yet. She shook her head. She didn't want him tracing her phone.

What she _really_ wanted was a shower. Or a nice hot bath to just _soak_. She'd have to ask Mr. or Mrs. Belladonna.

Or Blake!

Somehow she was able to smile and stumbled out of bed.

And immediately regretted it because - _oh-_ her shins and feet were _killing her_!

"Owwwwww."

Oh yeah, bath was _definitely_ a better idea. And maybe a massage. If her hands weren't too sore from dragging her suitcase.

She was still in her clothes from…. This morning when she had left. So she quietly left the guest room, and knocked on the door next to her.

"Blake?" she asked through the door. "Are you awake?"

Nothing.

She knocked again, louder. "Blake? Please?"

Nothing.

Weiss let out a heavy sigh.

She went to the stairs and headed down, hoping to find one of the Belladonnas. She could hear Mr. Belladonna talking to Mr. Tai, and they were both laughing. She followed their voices to the living room, where they were sitting around the coffee table.

"Weiss!" Mr. Tai greeted with a huge smile. "It's good to see you awake. And actually conscious!"

She smiled. "Hello, Mr. Tai, Mr. Belladonna."

Mr. Tai was glancing at his phone. "I'm going to go pick up the girls from school. Qrow could probably use the extra sleep, I doubt he's gotten up yet." He looked to Weiss. "Do you want me to bring them over?"

"Yes." She frowned. "No? I don't know," she sighed. "I want to see them. I need them. But I feel… I'm too…." Weiss shook her head. "I don't know how to describe it."

"That's okay," Mr. Tai said. "I think I do have the word. You're too raw. Like having a scab ripped off, you're all sensitive."

"Yes! Exactly! I…"

He nodded. "I'll talk to them. You've had a long day and you need rest more than anything else." He stood, came over, and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Ruby told me that I'm your honorary dad. So you get extra hugs for having such a rough time of it."

Weiss thought she was fine. Instead she just started sobbing again. Not quite so uncontrollably, but she just hugged… Tai close. He squeezed back, kissing the top of her head. She finally let go and he ruffled her hair.

"Hey!"

Tai shrugged. "It's a thing real dad's do."

Mr. Belladonna, behind him, nodded solemnly, even as his eyes twinkled.

Weiss giggled.

Mrs. Belladonna came in. "Hello, you're awake," she smiled. "Now I know that Professor Ozpin is the best baker you've ever encountered, but I've been baking a cake. You'll have to tell me how it compares."

Weiss smiled. "Before I do… can I…. may I… have a bath? Or shower?"

Mrs. Belladonna smiled. "Oh, it's going to be a bath, dear. I understand you walked for a number of hours this morning? When you're done and enjoying your cake, I'm going to give you a proper foot massage."

Mr. Belladonna's chest seemed to puff out. "My lovely wife _is_ a massage therapist. You'll enjoy it."

Weiss's feet throbbed in anticipation. And her stomach may have growled.

All the adults smiled while Weiss was certain her face was somewhere between a tomato and Ruby's favorite hoodie.

"Well," Tai said, "I'll take that as my cue."

Mr. Belladonna chuckled. "I'll get the bath going. I know just the bath bomb to use. Kali loves it after a good workout."

Mrs. Belladonna grinned like a cheshire cat. "Yes, do the hard work of turning on the tap," she said lightly. "I'll give Weiss a proper tour."

Weiss looked back and forth and saw the sparkle between husband and wife. She had seen it before in other parents, but she had never seen it in her own. Finally, a muscle in her back seemed to relax.

She was _safe_.

* * *

Tai was halfway to the middle school before he remembered his girls were in high school and halfway through a u-turn when he remembered that he and Qrow had agreed to have the girls meet at the middle school to practice their independence, meaning he had to turn around _again_ to drive to the middle school. "All of this so Qrow can keep dating Oz," he muttered under his breath. He saw Ruby and Yang walking to the middle school and almost picked them up then and there, but it was Yang's first day back and he wanted her day to be as normal as possible.

What with Weiss having run away from home and the Schnee's about to enter an ugly custody battle.

He shook his head as he pulled into the middle school and saw the professor standing next to the passenger side of his car in the handicapped spot. Tai pulled into the spot next to him and got out of the car. "Hey," he said.

Oz blinked. "Hello," he said, shifting his weight on his cane. "Did something happen?"

"What makes you say that?" Tai said in a wry tone. He pulled his coat a little tighter. November air was cold.

"Only that you are not Qrow, and he very rarely breaks routine."

Tai nodded, leaning against his car. "That's the understatement of the year," he said, nodding. "Woke up to Weiss knocking on our door. She decided to run away last night."

Professor Oz's eyes widened, his mouth parting to an oh before he quickly schooled his expression, closing his eyes and taking a moment to breathe. "I fear we are about to have a debate over semantics," he said gently. "Knowing what we do of young Miss Schnee's situation I feel that 'running away' is perhaps an inaccurate moniker. It would be more appropriate to say that she has 'escaped' the abuses she's been forced to endure."

Tai blinked, letting the words sink in. "She's fourteen," Tai said. "Does it really make a difference?"

" _Yes_ ," Ozpin said, tapping his cane on the asphalt. "For her it will make all the difference in the world. People like her… it is not running away from a problem, it is escaping from a prison. It puts the onus of the situation on the abuser instead of the victim, and that is a _very_ important distinction to make. It was the only way I could convince myself to do it."

Tai stilled, a new revelation in a day already stressed now settling on his shoulders.

Oz took the silence to continue. "It was perhaps the hardest decision of my life," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose, partially hiding his eyes. "But once I knew Oscar… there were no other options. I very quietly started packing away Oscar's most precious items, liquidated part of my retirement, decided what items were essential. I had already decided on the East Coast and had called Ms. Hill; I talked to the police about the restraining order. She found me when I was putting suitcases in the car."

"Oh, my god," Tai said, realizing what he was hearing.

"Did Mr. Schnee see Miss Schnee's escape?"

Blinking, Tai answered quickly. "No. She says she got up at three a.m. to pack and then walked all the way to my house. Now that you mention it, she said something about having a list to know what to pack."

Oz nodded. "Then it was an escape, I assure you. It will be very important to use the correct terminology around her. Where is she now?"

"With the Belladonnas," Tai said. "Probably sleeping, she was exhausted when she came to us."

"Of course," Ozpin said. "Both physically and emotionally." He fell silent, turning and looking to the middle school, and Tai started to realize why Qrow was so protective of him. Like, yeah, hair turning white in a year, the accident, Tai always knew Oz's life was a little hard, but those details about leaving his ex… "Year of Hell" was probably an underestimation, and Tai was beginning to feel grateful that his childhood was as healthy as it was.

He shifted his weight, searching for something to say. "Hey," he said, finally, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Ozpin shrugged. "In retrospect, I should have done it years ago, but I was always weak-willed. It was easier to stay, be around what I knew and what I foolishly thought I could control. I thought I couldn't stand on my own - no," he corrected, tilting his head slightly, "she convinced me I couldn't stand on my own. I can recognize that now." He turned back to Tai. "Will your daughters be seeing her?"

"Not today," Tai said. "She's been through too much, and she wants some time to put herself back together. Tomorrow, after Winter's officially sued for custody."

Oz nodded, and for several minutes they waited, the silence comfortable.

Tai's mind drifted back to Raven, the good times and the bad, the fights, the make-up sex, the dates and the disaster it turned into. He thought about therapy, after Summer, putting his head back on straight and trying not to shut down when his girls needed him.

"It's not about being weak-willed," he said. "Staying, I mean. It just means you're still trying, that you still want your partner to be better, that you still think there's hope." He focused on Ozpin, watching his face. "I stayed with Raven even though the whole relationship was a mess, because I still thought she could be better. She left, ran away, so maybe it's not the same thing, but… it takes courage to admit that you can't help someone. And it takes time to realize you can't help them, too."

And Oz smiled, soft and warm and he looked down. "Thank you," he said, and all at once Tai could see why Qrow was pining over him so hard. That kind of gratitude was so rare to see - not the polite, expected response, but something deeper, more sincere, more profound. The guy acted like even small sentences equated to some kind of a miracle.

"Did you have therapy?" Tai asked, "After you settled here?"

Oz shook his head. "There wasn't time," he said. "My escape was somewhat hairy, to coin a phrase; when we came here I hadn't yet found us a place to live, the divorce was only just beginning, I was utterly terrified that she would somehow find me and take Oscar. Even after everything finally settled…" He shrugged. "I understand its value and have seen its benefits, but I just never…"

Tai nodded. "Hey, I get it. Therapy isn't for everyone. It wasn't for Qrow. You know best."

Oz turned to the school again. "For a long time I didn't. Sometimes I still don't."

Tai smiled. "That's life, isn't it?"

The bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise titled: Tai is Best Supporting Character, or Tai is Best Team Dad.
> 
> Since the girls all took a vow of being sisters and Tai being the Team Dad and Kali being the Team Mom, Tai finally starts to fill the role that he had no idea was assigned to him: meaning as a dad he does what he does best - look out for the needs of the kids. Winter is at a disadvantage here, she's new to the idea of being a parent and she has to account for outmaneuvering Jacques Freakin' Schnee - she's looking out for Weiss but doesn't know all the ways to look out for her yet.
> 
> Tai also arguably gets his two best Dad Lines of the fic: I don't like your father, and You've carried this long enough. Just, our hearts melt, because we can hear his voice actor saying those lines.
> 
> Blake's post-Adam issues start to become apparent. It's moderately documented that Blake kind of hates herself after everything when the series starts, and when she gets home to Menagerie you can see the bits of it, and we know from V2 that she thinks she's a coward who runs away, and for this we decided to lean into it. She's so broken up all she can do is hide in her room, desperate for support but too into her self-loathing to accept it.
> 
> We also, slowly, start to figure out what to do with the Belladonnas. Kali briefly shows her capacity of Team Mom to Blake and later Weiss, Ghira is focused on the outside threats of Jacques and Adam. And while we don't get an OzQrow moment, we get a very rare OzTai moment, where Tai is Best Supporting Character again, and we drop another detail from Oz's Year of Hell: Salem caught him in the middle of the Escape. Good grief he went through a lot after the accident.
> 
> And for another random observation: Qrow is totally the guy who wanders his apartment shirtless and doesn't give a damn about it. The show will never make this canon so we have to inject it where we can.
> 
> Next chapter: Blake fights with everything she has to make an inch of progress. Weiss tries her best, too, and somehow they can be broken together.


	17. Chapter 17

Weiss was sooo glad it was the weekend. After running away ( _escaping_ , Professor Ozpin had insisted) Wednesday and needing to stay "home" again Thursday just to let Winter do what she needed, and Friday being an awkward day at school where she felt everyone was staring at her, but it was harder to ignore than usual, well… It was a weekend and she could continue going to normal.

Winter was running around everywhere, had officially sued for custody, and there had been a tense meeting between Winter, the Belladonnas and her father Friday when she was at school. Her father couldn't reach her at school because Ruby and Yang never let her out of their sight and had Mr. Tai on speed-dial if they saw her father outside the school. So they said. Weiss hadn't seen that happen at all yet. Winter had also had quite a few words for Weiss before hugging her close.

Ruby and Yang had stated emphatically that they were coming over this weekend, and Weiss was looking forward to it.

_Winter, are you coming over today?_ she texted her sister.

_I am spending today searching for a house. My apartment is clearly no longer adequate_.

Weiss chuckled. _Very well. Shall I assume tomorrow as well?_

_Yes. If I find something appropriate, I will take you there tomorrow for your opinions._

_I shall look forward to it_.

With a smile, Weiss headed downstairs for breakfast. Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna were there, cooking breakfast. Weiss had to admit, even though it was all vegan, it still tasted good. She just missed things like eggs and bacon. She always made an omelette for the weekends, but the fresh baked cinnamon bread that Mrs. Belladonna made was _wonderful_.

"Blake?" Weiss blinked, a huge smile spreading across her face. "Blake!"

Because Blake was sitting at the counter over oatmeal covered in bananas. Blake looked up, her pale face blanching further. "Weiss? You're up?"

And okay, Weiss had been crying a lot lately, so she didn't really care anymore that she was crying as she came over and hugged Blake around the shoulders tightly. If Ruby and Yang could handle her breaking down when they'd come over Thursday, and Winter could handle Weiss breaking down when she had finally arrived late Wednesday night, and Mr. Tai could handle Weiss breaking down every five seconds, and Mrs. Belladonna could handle Weiss breaking down every two seconds, Weiss figured Blake could handle her breaking down to hug her and sob because _oh!_ it had been so long since she'd seen her. It may have been a week, but it felt like a lifetime.

"I've _missed_ you!" she sobbed. "Are you _okay_? Ruby and Yang said you were stabbed and drugged, did they arrest the jerk? When are you coming back to school? Does it hurt? I've _missed you_!"

But Blake was stiff and starting to shake. "Weiss… You…."

"Blake…" Weiss pulled back. "You've never left your room. Are you okay?"

"I… I…" But Blake's eyes were watering.

Weiss laughed through a sob and hugged her again.

"G… G…" Then Blake shoved. "Get away!"

"Blake? What?"

But Blake was running up the stairs and Weiss heard the door slam.

Hurt tingled all along Weiss's skin and her happy tears dissolved into sad tears.

She felt arms wrap around her and she glanced to Mrs. Belladonna. "It's okay, dear," she said softly. "Blake is still hurting."

"But…"

"Shhhh, it's okay."

Weiss was _so_ tired of crying.

Much, much later, Ruby and Yang finally came over and Mr. Tai sat down with the Belladonnas while the siblings came up to join Weiss in the guest room. When she had explained everything, neither were pleased.

"What do you mean she pushed you away?" Yang said, holding her broken arm carefully. "She can't just push us away. We're her friends!"

"This doesn't make any sense," Ruby agreed. "She's never pushed us away."

Weiss huffed, her upset of earlier having turned to _anger_. "I don't care," she said haughtily. "If she wants to push us away, then _fine_. She hasn't been there for us in a long time. She's probably sick of us being too 'childish' or whatever. She spent all her time going off to be with her boyfriend, so _fine_ , she can hang out with the seniors, or whatever, and we can just help each other out."

"Weiss," Ruby said softly. "You can't mean that…"

"I _do_!" she shouted. She turned and screamed at the wall. "I don't care anymore, Blake! If you don't want us in your life, at _least_ have the courage to say so!"

Ruby grabbed her hand. "Weiss, I know you're upset. You have a right to be. But that's not going to help. You and Blake and Yang, you've all been hurt. Hurting each other isn't going to change anything other than making us all miserable."

Weiss scowled, but sat down.

Yang stood. "I'll talk to her."

* * *

She could hear them across the hall: Weiss. Ruby. _Yang_. They were all here, and all she wanted to do was run to them, beg their forgiveness, cry at their feet and say how sorry she was for everything. But Blake knew that she wouldn't be forgiven. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve friends as real and warm and fulfilling as them. Not after everything that happened, and she wasn't brave enough to see their scorn, their hatred. She wasn't brave enough to see them turn their backs on her, and so she turned her back on them, hid in her room, tried to pretend they weren't there.

Weiss: "If she wants to push us away, then _fine_. She hasn't been there for us in a long time. She's probably sick of us being too 'childish' or whatever. She spent all her time going off to be with her boyfriend, so _fine_ , she can hang out with the seniors, or whatever, and we can just help each other out."

Blake felt her eyes water. She deserved this. She _deserved_ this...

"I don't care anymore, Blake!" Weiss shouted from the other side of the wall, "If you don't want us in your life, at _least_ have the courage to say so!"

She flinched, unable to explain what a coward she was. She pulled the blanket over her head.

There was a knock on her door. "Blake?"

Oh god _Yang_.

Blake couldn't see her, she couldn't stand to see the hurt she caused Yang. Mom said something about a broken arm, and she _caused that_ she could only hurt the people around her she-

"Blake! Say something or I'm breaking down the door!"

There was a sudden, jolting, shuddering _pound_ on the door, violent and scary, and Blake pushed herself to the edge of the bed, afraid, so _afraid_. The door rattled again, a one-two-three staccato followed by, "Blake, damn it, _open the door!_ "

"Go away!" she cried out, and half of her mind was somewhere else, in Adam's room, in the dark, feeling so funny when they were kissing and her trying to remember the words to say, "No, I'm not ready," but he wouldn't stop he said he'd waited long enough and she tried to make it stop but the pounding didn't stop the door kept rattling and then there was a splintering _crunch_ that sounded like in the alley when a bone was broken and there was a hand on her wrist it was Adam _it was Adam he was going to hurt her again_ and she screamed, screamed to the top of her lungs and tried to get away but the hand on her wrist didn't let go - she tried to twist out of the grip but her side was _killing her_ there had been so much blood and she couldn't figure out why she was still alive and there was a weight on her and she couldn't get it all and all she could do was scream and wail.

Eventually, her mind caught up to herself. Her side was throbbing and hot, the feeling of pulling a stitch, and when she finally thought to look at her surroundings she saw Yang on top of her _oh my god it happened again_.

"Yang!" she said; she tried to get up but Yang was too heavy, just like that night. "No, no, nonono, please, _please_ , you have to be alright. I'm sorry! I'm so _sorry!_ " She tried to slide out from under, but Yang had her pinned. Wait, _Yang_ had her pinned…?

She took in more of her surroundings, saw Yang looking over her, mouth turned into a determined frown. One hand was holding her down and the other-the other was in a cast - palm to halfway up her bicep. Not snapped in half, not covered in blood. Blake struggled to process the picture, out of breath.

Yang was okay…? Yang was okay?

Yang was… okay…

Blake reached out with her free hand, tracing along the cast, the bright yellow casing. "You're… you're okay…"

"Are you back?" Yang asked, every line of her face tense.

Blake gave a fuzzy nod. Everything felt so surreal…

Yang sighed and let go, pulling up to a sitting position. Blake tried to follow; her side on fire and making her hold it out of habit. Yang's eyes snapped immediately to it, and Blake suddenly couldn't bear to have Yang look at her. She pulled her hand away, looking down and to the side, to the wall of her room. "You shouldn't be here," she said, out of energy.

"Yeah, well, neither should you," Yang said. "Hiding isn't going to solve anything."

Blake shook her head. "No," she said. "No, you shouldn't… I can't… I don't want to hurt you again. I've hurt you enough."

"Blake," Yang said, and her voice was so firm. "Blake, _look at me_."

She did, unable to say no. Not to Yang. In this light her violet eyes looked almost red, the afternoon sun casting her hair in a fiery glow. "Blake, _you_ didn't hurt me," Yang said. "Adam did. Same as he hurt you." Her eyes flicked to Blake's side, to the bandage and the stitches.

"... but it might as well have been me," Blake said, looking down again. "It's what I do. I hurt everyone around me. My parents. Adam. _You_."

"Okay, first: and I'm repeating myself: _you_ didn't hurt me. Second: any pain you think you caused Adam isn't even on tenth of what he deserved. He needs every bone in his body broken before we _actually_ start hurting him for what he did to you. Third: your parents are scared to death - that's not the same as hurt."

"No, you're not _listening_. This is my _fault_ ," Blake said, knotting her hands together, afraid to look up. "I'm the one that brought Adam into our lives. I'm the one who was being stupid and naive and _slutty_. I deserve what happened to me. I deserve to have all of you _hate_ me. I hope you all _hate_ me, it's better than me-"

And Yang hugged her, the move sudden and surprising. She wrapped her good arm around Blake's shoulders, and her casted arm snuck along Blake's injured side, resting just above her hip, and Yang just _squeezed_. Everything about her was warm and soft, Blake could smell her shampoo, and the tears sprung up again.

"Please," she begged. "I'm a coward. All I do is run away. I don't deserve…!"

"Yes," Yang corrected. "You do."

Blake shook her head, even as she dipped it into Yang's shoulder and hugged her back. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and she clung to Yang with all her might.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss watched from the door, the two of them holding hands as they watched the entire visceral display. Mrs. Belladonna was with them, further down the hall, ready to intervene. Ruby looked to Weiss, saw her nose was red, one tear sliding down her pale face. Ruby squeezed her hand, and Weiss caught her gaze, shaking her head as she scrubbed at her cheek.

As one they got up and moved down the hall to give Yang and Blake some space, stepping back in Weiss' temporary room. "Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"... I don't know," Weiss said, sitting on her bed. Ruby joined her. "I'm mad, and I'm tired, and I feel so sorry for Blake. I didn't realize…" she made a vague gesture with her hand. "I have no right to be so upset with my situation."

"Weiss, yes you do," Ruby said. "You and Blake… it's not the same thing. It's like apples and oranges, you can't compare them like that."

"You saw her," Weiss said. "She thought she was back in the dark alley, she thought Yang was Adam… That's what they call a flashback, isn't it? I don't have flashbacks of my father. I'm perfectly coherent at all times, so it's not nearly as bad. What right do I have-"

"Weiss, your dad _hit_ you. He made you feel like you had to be perfect at all times. Do you really think that's any different than what Blake went through?"

"Father didn't _assault_ me."

"Yeah, he did," Ruby said, touching Weiss' knee. "Maybe not in a dark alley with brass knuckles and a knife, but he hit you with his words over and over. Dad always told us, don't stick around people who hurt you with words. That old sticks and stones rhyme we're told when we're kids, 'words will never hurt me' is a lie. They hurt worse than the sticks and stones, Dad says. Uncle Qrow said his parents never raised a hand to him and Aunt Raven, but they met Mom and Dad as broken people. That means you're just as broken as Blake is."

Weiss's entire face was red now, and she scrubbed at her eyes again. "I'm so _sick_ of _crying_ ," she said.

"But that's okay, too. It just means your body is handling the hurt in the best way possible."

"Shut up. You're just a child."

But Weiss hugged her anyway, and Ruby hugged her back.

* * *

It was the last week of November, and Blake took a deep breath as she got off the bus and stepped in front of the high school. It was her first day back since… well. It was her first day back. It was the short week, only three days before Thanksgiving break. She thought she could handle that. Her parents were willing to wait, but Yang and Weiss insisted that she was ready for this, and now that Weiss was living with her Blake was learning how very insistent she was. Her crisis counselor, provided by one of Mr. Qrow's friends, also said she was ready.

She saw all the other kids, moving and undulating across the curb to the building. She kept her back straight, looking, trying to see who was staring at her, who was judging her, but then a hand was on her shoulder, and Weiss was pressing her to move further to the curb so she could get off the bus.

Weiss' hand didn't leave her shoulder after she stepped off, however, and her blue eyes scanned the crowd, same as Blake.

"Blake! You're here!"

Ruby ran up and jumped to hug Blake - warm and soft, just like her sister, who was coming up from behind.

"It's good to see you," Yang was saying. "You got this. We checked all our schedules - I was able to change my world history class to be with you for both it and science."

Her eyes drifted down to the cast, on for so many more weeks still. Yang had gotten over it, she had to be able to, too.

"Blake!" Ruby said, "Are those _cat ears_?"

Her hand drifted up to her headband, suddenly self-conscious. "... Yeah?"

"Oh, they're so cute! Where did you get them? Do they come in red? I love red!"

"I don't-"

Yang smiled. "They look good on you," she said, and Blake for some reason found herself flushing.

"I used to wear them all the time," she said, running a hand through her dark hair. "I thought they were cute, but Adam…"

"Say no more," Weiss said. "His opinion is invalid. I for one think you look adorable. What do you have for homeroom?"

"Math."

"Oh, that's with me!" Ruby said, raising her hand as the four of them started to walk to school. "Don't worry, I know you've been doing all the work but if you have any questions I'm happy to help! Then I'll walk you to Science and Yang will take over bodyguard duty!"

" _Ruby_ , it's not _bodyguard_ duty," Weiss corrected sternly. "Don't be a child, we're here to give her emotional support." She leveled a dark glare, and for a second Blake was convinced it was at her, and she tensed, but they had made it into the building and all four of them stuck with her - to the office with her note, to her locker for her stuff, and to her homeroom in math. Blake was nervous again, all she could see was a sea of students, her ears were hypersensitive, listening for someone to say something about her, but Ruby brought her right up to the math teacher, and she offered a gentle smile.

"It's good to see you," the older woman said. "I've missed teaching you."

Blake didn't deserve the kindness, but she managed to smile and nod her head. Her seat was in the back of the room, and Ruby dragged a desk and mashed it up against hers, spreading out her messy notebook and textbook to last night's homework. Blake pulled out her spiral ring notebook where she had been doing her schoolwork, and Ruby casually leaned over and doodled a happy face on it. With the wall on one side and Ruby on the other, Blake found she could breathe.

Math wasn't so bad, and science with Yang was even better, the blond was her lab partner and caught her up on all the new notes from last week that Blake had struggled with. After that was a study hall with all three, and they pulled their desks together to keep her attention as she went over her work. Fourth period was world history with Yang again, they were having some kind of debate and Blake just sat and watched. She was starting to… relax wasn't quite the right word, but nobody was staring at her, she didn't hear any whispers, and nobody was pointing fingers. Maybe it really was all in her head…?

Lunch was… scary. All four grades were there, and Blake _knew_ the upperclassmen knew about Adam and her, and she was almost shaking as she entered the lunch line, a junior and two seniors in front of her. She kept her head down, worrying her hands before taking a tray. She tried to peer out over the cafeteria, but she didn't see a shock of gold or white-blonde hair, and Ruby was always harder to spot. Blake shuffled along the line, taking a banana and a carton of apple juice, and getting a salad. After paying she stepped out of the line and was just… lost.

She couldn't find her friends, she was starting to wonder where she could sit and feel comfortable, she knew just _standing_ there would draw attention and if one of the upperclassmen saw her…

"Hey, Blake right?"

She startled, jumping probably eight feet in the air, but to her left was a junior, brown hair and a simple tee with a bunny printed on it. "... Velvet?" she asked, placing the name.

"It's good to see you," she said. "I feel like you dropped off the map for a while, I was worried you were sick or something."

"Uh… something," Blake said.

The brunette smiled. "Do you have somewhere to sit?"

"Uhm, I was looking for my friends," Blake said, feeling her body fill with tension.

"Okay," Velvet said. "I can wait with you for a while."

The junior stood next to her and Blake looked resolutely at her tray, feeling herself turn beet red and waiting, _knowing_ , the junior was going to ask about Adam and _dreading_ the question how was she going to answer the question what was she going to say how was she had been obsessing over this _exact_ scenario and she could feel her eyes well and _damn it_ she had made it so far into the day without-

"Blake!"

Ruby all but ran into her, arm up and waving, tilting Blake dangerously to the side and forcing her to stagger slightly so she wouldn't tip over. She bumped into Velvet.

"Oh, I' so sorry!" Blake said.

"It's fine," Velvet said, bright smile on her face.

Blake was absolutely convinced the girl in the bunny shirt was going to spread rumors all through the cafeteria for daring to bump into her, she was shaking so bad Ruby had to place her hands on the tray to keep it steady. Ruby guided her to a table, but Blake could hardly eat, couldn't hear Yang and Weiss, lost in her own head. She heard laughter everywhere, talking and shouting and the incomprehensible din just made her more and more convinced they were talking about _her_ , about what she did, how loose she was, what an _easy lay_ , admiring when she was dressed so _slutty_ at those parties with Adam. She was so stupid, there was no way she was ready for this. The giant cafeteria felt claustrophobic, someone laughed walking behind her and it was too much, she got up and ran to the bathroom.

Yang followed her, of course, trapped her in a hug the minute she left the stall, and in a way that was even worse because Blake was acutely aware of the cast, and not matter what Yang said _she caused that_ , and she was still such a _coward_ , she couldn't even face _lunch_. What was wrong with her?

The bell rang, maybe, Blake wasn't sure, but she heard a swell of noise out in the hall that then faded.

"It's okay," Yang said. "They're gone now."

Blake looked up, her cheeks stained, but Yang offered her a smile.

"... I don't deserve you," she said.

And Yang's smile was a little sad, and she just hugged her closer. "Do you need to go to guidance?"

Blake nodded, unable to handle the idea of going to art alone.

Yang walked her down, sat with her until the guidance counselor could take her, and disappeared to her own class. Blake felt afraid as soon as Yang left, but she forced herself to remember that she was talking to an adult, and adults were smarter than kids, and that guidance was supposed to be a safe space. She forced herself to talk about her anxiety, what happened with Velvet in lunch and how suddenly everything seemed to close in on her. She took up the whole period - not because the conversation lasted that long, but art was the only class that didn't have any of her friends and she Just. Couldn't. Do. It. The counselor understood, wrote her a pass for her last class and called art to explain the situation.

Blake took several deep breaths, recited some mantras her mother offered, tried to calm herself down. She had to _try_. She had to do her _best_ , move forward like none of this had ever happened.

It did. But she could pretend.

She had to, because Yang and the others deserved _so much better_.

She washed her face and managed to go to English all by herself. She didn't see Weiss, but she sat down in a corner of the room and pulled out her notebook and the play they were working through. She kept her head down.

"Hey," a boy said, "this is my seat."

Blake snapped to attention, seeing an unfamiliar face. She mumbled an apology and moved to get her stuff. After standing she decided to move to the other corner, but it was already taken. Blake looked around, saw a lot of the seats had been filled while she was getting ready. Assigned seats…?

"There you are!" Weiss said, moving into the room. "I was standing outside waiting for you!"

"Oh…"

"Here, we have assigned seats. You're up front."

Blake shook her head. "I'm really not comfortable sitting in the front," she said. Not with twenty kids sitting behind her. Passing notes. Whispering. Behind her back.

Weiss seemed to understand, nodded and said, "We can trade seats. I sit further in the back. It won't be perfect but I hope it will help."

Blake nodded, took another deep breath as Weiss led her to the fourth row, only one row behind her, but it was smack in the middle, no wall next to her. Blake sat down with her things. She'd already had one break down, she was _not_ going to have another. She took one deep breath after another, tension building in her back as Weiss took a seat in the front and two seats over from her. So far away…

Class started and they were reading through the play aloud. Different people had different roles already assigned, Blake was happy she wasn't expected to read aloud, but they paused to answer questions and Blake didn't have the worksheet they were referencing. She didn't dare raise her hand, focused on writing down as much as she could for later. She kept glancing at Weiss, but the heiress was focused on her own work, having one of the lead roles for the read-aloud.

That was fair, Blake reminded herself. She couldn't rely on her friends for every little thing, she had to get to the point where she could go through a day without a breakdown. She couldn't expect Weiss to keep looking at her like Ruby and Yang had - they were sitting next to her, Weiss wasn't.

As it was, she barely heard anything from the play, locked up in her own head, and when she looked at her notebook she only had half a page of things written down. She sighed as the bell rang, packing her things away and waiting for everyone else to leave before going up to the teacher and explaining she didn't have a copy of the worksheet they were doing. She got an extra copy, and Weiss was at the door, waiting for her.

"Sorry to hold you up," Blake said.

"Don't worry," Weiss said. "You'll get better as you go."

They walked to Blake's locker and she got her things, putting on her coat and tugging her hair out from under it as she shrugged her backpack on. "I didn't get a lot of the work today," she admitted. "I couldn't concentrate."

Weiss frowned but didn't say anything.

"Blaaaaaaaake!"

For the third time that day Ruby ran into her. "How was your day did it go okay you made it to the end of the day so means you made it I'm so happy you made it you had us really worried at lunch but you conquered the day and-"

Yang put her hand on her sister's head, shaking her own. "What's she's trying to say," she translated, "is good job."

"This is perfect! Let's go walk to the middle school - you'll have the entire walk to tell us _everything_ and then we can help you through all the hard stuff and find out who we need to threaten to beat up if someone said something mean! Team Guard Dog! Woof-woof!"

"Ruby, you are _such_ a _child_."

"Ouch! The return of the Ice Princess!"

"Hey!"

They started their walk, Weiss and Ruby pulling ahead, Yang keeping pace with Blake.

"How was it really?" Yang asked. "We were really worried at lunch."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Blake said.

"Don't be sorry. Just let us help you."

Blake shook her head. "You can't help me forever," she said. "I have to be able to do this on my own. But I'm too stupid. I can't get over… any of this. I still wake up crying, Weiss keeps trying to hug me and it's so sweet but sometimes… You and Ruby and Weiss are doing so much and I'm supposed to be better. I should be _over_ this, and I'm not, and I'm so _mad at myself_."

"And all of that is okay," Yang said. "We're not asking you to stop, we're asking you to take care of yourself. It took Dad and Uncle Qrow years to put themselves together, you can't expect yourself to be magically better in, what, a month?"

"You are," Blake said, eyes glancing down at the arm. "You shrugged it all off like it was nothing. I kind of envy you."

Yang shook her head. "I haven't shook it off," she said, voice softer. "You can't see it because of the cast, but sometimes my hands start to shake. Sometimes I get really mad for no reason." Her cheeks turned pink. "That, uh, may have been why I broke down your door."

Blake looked away. "You wouldn't have had to if I wasn't such a coward."

"That's a hard argument to make," Yang said, "Considering you just survived your first day back."

"... not much of a success story."

"I don't know. You made it to the end of the day. I'd say that's pretty successful. Tomorrow we see if you can make it through again. And then you get rewarded with a half day."

How did she always…? Blake shook her head. "Yeah," she said. "Okay."

One day at a time.

* * *

Weiss sighed. The past month had been… _difficult_ to put it mildly. Winter's fight for custody of her and Whitley was heated and ugly, from what Winter would let slip. Winter had found a house to buy, but the process of buying was taking time, between inspections, lawyers, commissions, and other stuff that Weiss didn't understand. Winter was hoping that they'd be moving in by New Years, but it was more likely to be after the New Year. She was still with the Belladonnas, and that's part of why things were so hard. Blake just hid in her room. Nothing Weiss said or did helped her come out and relax.

She and Ruby and Yang were the emotional support at school. Weiss _wanted_ to help Blake, but the seating chart in their last class kept them apart, and Weiss just kept waiting for Blake to come over or ask for help, but she never did. Weiss could only assume that Blake was keeping up. But on the walk to the middle school for Professor Ozpin and Mr. Qrow to pick them up, Blake would quietly talk about feeling everyone staring at her.

Weiss knew she would _stomp_ whoever had anything bad to say about Blake. She'd seen Blake's flashback, heard her wake up from nightmares. If anyone had a problem, they could go through _her_.

But…

Weiss was also stressed. With the custody battle being so difficult, Weiss was just so… tired. She had received voicemails from her father that she could almost ignore, but always left her feeling terrible afterwards. But she dutifully saved them for Winter. The worst voicemails were from her mother, sobbing and clearly pleading on her father's behest for her to come home. _Those_ voicemails always left her sobbing. She really needed a friend. But Blake wasn't available, even though they were in the same house.

Weiss tried to remind herself that Blake had also survived trauma, worse trauma that she herself had gone through, but she was just so _frustrated_. She reminded herself that Blake had a right to wallow in things as long as she needed, but how long was enough? When was Blake going to start remembering that her friends _wouldn't hurt her_?

She let out a sigh, and continued to take notes. The day was almost over, and she knew she had another voicemail on her phone from her mother. She knew she probably had an afternoon of sobbing ahead of her. When the bell rang, she automatically stepped up by Blake.

Blake just kept looking down at her bag as she packed it.

And Weiss felt awkward. There was a chasm between them. Blake was hurting, Weiss was hurting, they should be able to comfort each other, but nothing seemed to work. "Um, did you understand everything? Any questions?"

"I'm fine," Blake said softly.

Weiss nodded. She didn't know what to say anymore. But she still walked with Blake to her locker, made sure no one bothered her, and together they headed out with the throngs of students. They usually waited at the flagpole for Yang and Ruby, so they stopped there and set their bags down. Yang had said something earlier about needing to check with a teacher, so it would probably be a few minutes.

"So how was your day?" Weiss asked.

"Fine."

Weiss sighed. "What do you want to do this afternoon? Maybe we can study together?" Nice neutral ground that didn't need to get into any of the raw spots they both had.

"Ummm…" Blake didn't really answer. She was pulling out her headphones that had kitty ears on them.

Weiss frowned. Blake was about to hide in her music. _Well FINE!_

Huffing, she turned enough to lean against the pole. Probably a stupid idea with how cold it was. December snow had arrived the prior weekend, and there were still patches in shadowed areas, and Weiss just shook her head at the irony. Not only was it cold outside, she and Blake were being cold to each other. Weiss just didn't know what else to do.

The buses had left, and Weiss checked her watch. That must be some question that Yang had. She glanced at Blake, but Blake had her phone out and was texting… that looked like Ruby's icon.

Weiss nodded to herself.

"Hello, daughter."

It was like cold water was poured down her spine. Weiss jerked forward, turning around as her eyes widened.

Her father was _there_. She was alone and he was there! Behind him, in the parking lot was his car, driver in the driver's seat idling the engine. He was in one of his expensive suits and with the white wool overcoat. His white hair, white coat, white suit, it was like a blizzard was in front of her, ready to engulf her.

_aloneandhe'sherealoneandhe'sherealoneandhe'sherealoneandhe'shere…._

But her spine remained straight. She pushed her shoulders back, and lifted her chin.

And she shook.

"Father," she greeted.

And he offered _that_ smile. The one where he knew he was being extra nice so do what he said.

"Daughter, you've been missed," he held his arms wide like he expected her to come up and hug him. "Come home."

Weiss was trembling and she knew it. _Words, words, words, what do I_ say _? aloneandhe'shere…._

"No," she spat out. "I will not be going to your home."

"Come now, daughter," he said so gently. "You are a guest with the Belladonnas. You have no other place to go. That messy Xiao Long family won't take you in, you're just a guest where you are now, that's no way to live. Just come home. We can talk."

And he sounded so _reasonable_. No one listening in would _know_ what that meant if she went home.

A hand grabbed hers and Weiss turned to see Blake, kitty headphones off, glaring.

_I'm not alone_ ….

Weiss took a deep breath. And maybe squeezed Blake's hand back with a lot more force than necessary. "I will not be going to your home, Father."

Her father smiled at her and she could _feel_ the condescension radiating from him. He offered a smile he used when he was negotiating with companies he was about to absorb. "You know, your mother misses you greatly."

Weiss actually took a step back, inadvertently pushing something back.

"You know how your mother is when she's upset."

Weiss hissed in a breath.

"She's not been feeling well. She just wants her daughter to come home."

Weiss could feel her eyes watering in the cold air, she was still shaking. She recognized what was going on in a detached way. They had discussed this in therapy. Her father was trying to manipulate her, use her mother as a crowbar to get what he wanted because he _knew_ that Weiss was the one who usually took care of her mother when she was…. Unwell. And as much as she knew it was manipulation, it was _working_ damn it! Because Whitley never looked after her mother, her _father_ certainly didn't, Winter wasn't there anymore, so who else could do it? What choice did Weiss have….

"I…."

"I know your mother has called you," he said, stepping forward. Weiss stepped back, pushing something back again. "She's been crying for weeks now. You know how she is. She misses you. I'm sure you miss her too."

Her mother….

"Stop it."

Weiss turned, wide-eyed to Blake. She was still there? She had been pushing back into Blake?

Her father offered a derisive snort. "Girl, this is a private matter for the family, run along."

But Blake, still clutching Weiss's hand, moved to step in front of her. Blake was also shaking, perhaps worse than Weiss, but she stood tall.

"Weiss _is_ family."

"Blake…"

"She's my sister. I'm her sister."

Her father offered an angry look. "How quaint, daughter. You have a kitten to defend you." Then he looked directly to Weiss. "Hasn't this gone on long enough? Don't you want all this arguing and conflict to end? Don't you want your mother to be happy?"

Weiss clenched her jaw tightly, stayed ramrod straight, and took a deep breath. "You need to leave, Father," she said. "I won't be manipulated by you this time."

_God, I actually_ said _that?_

"Weiss," he said with such gentleness, even if his eyes were as cold as ever, "that's not you talking, that's your sister. I know you. You would never say such things. The Weiss I know loves her family, will do anything to make her family proud. Valedictorian, extracurricular activities, tutoring. That Weiss I know and love always makes sure the Schnee name is in good standing. The Weiss I know loves her mother and looks after her, mentors her brother, always makes me proud." Her father gave that _smile_ again. "Just come home. It's that simple. No questions asked. Just come home."

" _Weiss!_ "

Weiss blinked, looking over to the school and seeing Ruby and Yang coming down the steps, Ruby waving vigorously. _With a teacher_!

"Weiss, I'm so glad we caught you," Ruby said. "Did you know your locker is hanging open?"

"No it's not..."

" _Yes it is_!" Ruby insisted. "We just had to stop one of the seniors from picking around in it!"

" _What_?"

The teacher gestured. "Come on. It will only take a few minutes."

And her father stepped forward smoothly. "I'm quite certain that teachers such as yourselves or your janitorial staff can handle shutting a locker," he said and Weiss was fairly certain only _she_ could hear the condescension. "I was just speaking with my daughter about-"

The teacher held up a hand and offered a winsome smile. "We need Weiss to check to make sure nothing was taken from her locker. It will just be a moment."

Blake was already tugging her along, Ruby and Yang surrounded her, and the teacher calmly walked along behind her.

"Now see here," her father insisted, "what gives you the right to just barge into a conversation-"

But Weiss couldn't hear any more because the teacher stayed behind to talk to her father and all her friends dragged her into the school, into the office and through to guidance.

And _dammnit_ , she broke down crying again.

"I was _so scared_ ," she hissed, trying to hold back the tears and scrubbing them away. But all her friends were around her, hugging her, supporting her.

Even Blake.

* * *

" _Qrow, don't confront him. That's what he wants._ "

"I _know_ that, Oz," Qrow said into his phone as he turned onto the street of the high school. "But he just ambushed a _child_. He can't get away with that."

" _And he won't. Miss Belladonna texted that she's recording on her phone, correct? Let that be evidence. If she ends up recording you giving Mr. Schnee a beating, then that will be used_ against _Winter and what she's trying to accomplish_."

Qrow let out a heavy sigh.

Moments ago, Blake had sent out a massive text to him, the girls, Winter, Tai, even Oz, saying that Jaque-ass Schnee was there confronting his daughter and that she was recording all of it. Winter had immediately texted that she was calling Robyn Hill, Tai was at work, so were Blake's parents, and Oz was on the highway, still a half hour away. Qrow was the only one who was free to _haul ass_ and get there to get Jaque-ass Schnee the _hell away_ from the kids.

Granted, Qrow knew he was the _absolute worst_ choice for this, because he couldn't _stand_ Schnee and Tai had often had to boot him to keep things civil, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from doing what was _right_ , which was keeping the asshole away from his daughter.

When Qrow had texted that he was on his way, Oz had immediately called him.

" _I don't want you in danger or hurt, Qrow_ ," Oz said.

"I'm not in danger, Oz, Weiss is."

" _Please. Be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you…_ "

For the briefest of moments, something cut through Qrow's furious rage as he pulled into the parking lot.

"Oz…"

" _We both know that Mr. Schnee will use anything at his disposal. Don't be his qrowbar_."

Qrow parked and took a moment to take a deep breath. "We'll need to talk about your terrible sense of humor later."

Oz gave a hollow chuckle. " _As long as you're still around and not locked up in some penitentiary to rot away, you can ridicule my piteous attempts at witticism to your heart's content_."

"Careful, Oz, you're using your thesaurus again."

" _If it gets through to you, I'll consider it a victory_."

"If it works, I'll get you a proper prize for your victory."

" _No trophies or roses, if you please_."

"Outta my price range. You'll have to settle with just me."

" _I'll mark the date_."

Qrow got out of his car. He could see Jaques-ass Schnee standing by the flagpole at the driveway of the school, which was at the base of some stairs up the tiny hill to the actual building. Anger still roiled within him, but it was tempered for now.

He still wanted to punch Schnee flat on his ass, but he pushed that instinct down.

Oz was right. This was Winter's show, so he had to play by her rules.

So he took a deep breath, stuck his bare hands deep into his pockets and hunched forward against the cold. His coat was thick enough for this weather, and his red scarf trailed along behind him as he walked up to the school. As he walked up, he made a show of being surprised.

"Well, if it isn't Jaques Schnee, slumming it with the commoners," he said with as much oil as Jaques-ass exuded.

Schnee looked over, scowling. "Look at what the birds dragged in."

"Ha ha, like I haven't heard every pun under the sun about my name." Qrow shrugged with a nonchalance he didn't feel. His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it for now. It had been buzzing non-stop since Blake had sent out that text. "Still, it's a surprise to see the high and mighty come down and mingle with us plebeians."

Schnee frowned and tilted his head back to look down his nose.

"I don't associate with criminals."

Qrow shrugged again, holding in his instinctual reaction because Oz was still in his ears. "Never arrested, so keep lying to yourself. I'm just here to pick up my nieces."

"None of your concern," Schnee said, straightening out his already perfect overcoat and gloves, as if to prove something.

Qrow ignored him and leaned against the flagpole. He kept his eyes on Schnee, though it was work not to be obvious about it, and pulled out his phone.

Twelve new texts. Make that fifteen. Twenty, damn, the girls were all trying to text him at once. He opened the app, one eye still keeping an eye on the Jaques-ass, and immediately saw the most recent text was from Oz.

_Be safe_.

Okay, that was enough to crack a crooked smile. He scrolled through all the texts, mostly the girls yelling at him from wherever they were watching from inside with all caps telling him not to do anything stupid. He rolled his eyes.

_Would I do anything stupid_?

_Yes!_ came seven immediate responses.

Qrow kept texting back and forth with them, utterly ignoring Schnee even as he watched closely as the man paced back and forth in the cold and checked his watch.

"...how long does it take to close a damn locker..." Schnee muttered.

Of course, Qrow was getting the story from the girls, in a jumble of texts that were all disjointed, but he got the jist: schools were public, but because they dealt with minors, they didn't actually have to allow people in. That's why visitors were always checked in to the main office, if they were even buzzed in. Aside from bus times, when kids were coming in or leaving, the school was always locked and needed to be buzzed in. So when the school had gotten a phone call from Winter they had swiftly arranged for Weiss to come in and the teacher had stayed outside long enough to ensure that Jaques-ass didn't follow and wouldn't get in.

_fcking good school, gld we go here_

Then Schnee stormed by him, intent on entering.

"Don't bother," Qrow called out after him. "You won't get in."

Schnee whirled around. " _What_?"

Qrow stuffed his phone back into his pocket, ignored all the buzzing, and offered his own condescending smile. "I pick up my nieces regularly. It's a thing we peasants do. Once the school lets out, they don't have anyone to man the buzzer. Secretaries go home. Did you check your watch? They're probably down to only one secretary for the afternoon shift, and she's probably busy with all the usual paperwork at the end of the day."

"What do you _mean_ I can't go in? I _pay_ for this school."

"So do I. Taxes are good for making schools run. Pity cuts in taxes always ends up meaning cuts in schools," Qrow gave another crooked smile.

"What would you possibly know-"

"Oh, I may not have your education on finances, but I _do_ have experience," Qrow said lightly, still leaning against the flagpole like he didn't have a care in the world. "Experience trumps fancy degrees any day. I've been picking up my nieces for years. I know how after school works. So I don't bother with trying to get buzzed in. I just have a spot that my nieces know to go to and I wait."

Which was technically true. It's just that his usual waiting spot was the middle school.

"You're lying," Schnee said, though he looked doubtful. "You're just a damned criminal. A crook and a cheat."

That bristled, and Qrow wanted to growl back and get into Schnees face about that, but his phone was still vibrating away in his pocket and he _had_ to remember that he wasn't here to get into an altercation. He was here to drive Jaques-ass Schnee away, so he had to be _annoying_ , not _pissed off_.

"Go ahead and try to get in. No skin off my nose. I don't have to get to any meetings or anything. My shift doesn't start for another few hours."

That actually had Schnee pulling aside the sleeve of his coat to look at his expensive watch.

" _Dammit_."

Qrow kept his jaw shut as he watched Schnee look back and forth from the school to his waiting car.

" _Dammit_."

And Schnee went back to his car.

Qrow smiled to himself and watched until the car was out of sight.

Predictably:

" _Uncle Qrow_!" and he staggered as quite a few girls tackled him.

"Hello to all of you as well," he gave his best roguish smile. "Miss me?"

Weiss was quietly crying around her smile, Blake was shaking like a leaf and hanging close, and Yang and Ruby were wrapped tightly around his middle.

"Nope!" they shouted.

* * *

Blake scrolled through the video with Weiss in the back of Mr. Qrow's junker, showing her the video she had taken. Her hands were still shaking, but Weiss was shaking too, and she didn't deserve that. Her friend had pushed and _pushed_ for Blake to be ready for the world, same as Yang and Ruby, and she had to be brave, not broken. Neither of them had let go of each other, and Weiss sent another text to her sister. Ruby was up front and Yang was next to Blake, always a solid presence that Blake cherished.

They retreated home, Blake desperate for the safety of her room, and Mr. Qrow kept his nieces downstairs saying they had to do homework as Blake tugged Weiss upstairs to her room. She closed the door and let out a breath she'd been holding since she'd seen the look in Weiss' eyes at seeing her father.

Blake knew that look: saw it in herself when she woke up from a nightmare about… about Adam. And Weiss… she didn't deserve _that_ , either.

Weiss sat on the rug on the floor, and Blake joined her. "Do you… do you think it will help?" she asked.

"... Yes. Winter said it will be very useful in conjunction with the other strategies she's implementing."

"Good," Blake said, staring at her feet. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to look up. "I'm sorry," she said.

Weiss blinked. "For what?" she asked.

Blake worried her lips, working up the nerve. It used to be so _easy_ , to speak her mind and not feel so much anxiety, so much fear. Would she ever get better…? "For not being there," she admitted. "You've been doing so much for me, and you've been going through so much… I don't mean to push you away. I don't mean to hide. It's just… I'm such a coward. All I do is run away, sometimes I feel like it's the only thing I'm good at… and all this time you were fighting your own Adam…"

She had to suck in another breath, feeling hands on her that weren't there, someone cupping her… She shook her head. There weren't enough showers in the world, sometimes. "They're the same," she said, looking down at her hands. "Him and your father. Their eyes… they're the same, and I couldn't… I should have done something so much sooner. I'm _sorry_."

"You know," Weiss said, "I'm getting really tired of you apologizing."

Blake snapped to attention, Weiss catching her gaze and holding it.

"I've had a lot of time to think for the last few weeks," she said, "And you know what I've decided? _I don't care_. You called the entire cavalry to get me away from my father. You stood in front of him and said I was your sister even though a leaf was going to knock you over. You recorded everything to make sure there was evidence in case things got ugly."

Weiss reached over and took Blake's hands in hers. "You proved you were my sister today."

Blake hummed in her throat. "If you have a nightmare," she said, "Come to my room. We can sleep together for a while."

"Same goes for you."

"I'm not comfortable enough to ask a question in class, but can I ask you when we get home?"

"I've been _waiting_ for you to do just that."

"Sorry… sometimes you just look so annoyed."

"I _am_ , because you're not asking for help!"

The two of them stared at each other, and then shared a laugh.

"And can I say something?"

"Sure."

"I hate your vegan pulled pork."

Blake laughed. "But you love our vegan brownies."

"Wait, those are _vegan?_ "

"Yeah. We use avocados."

"Excuse me? How is that even possible?"

They laughed again, and everything was right with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I won't call this fluff necessarily, but wow our two girls needed a moment after this chapter.
> 
> Something we've become interested in as we get older is how big events like with Adam and Weiss' escape emotionally affect people after the fact - how they pick themselves up and put themselves back together. Weiss has already had a lot of training in putting herself back together, and she can fake being healthy a lot better. By contrast Blake has no functioning idea how to cope and has to come to terms with her own self-hatred first before she can even start to treat herself. Tack on that their both teenagers - and Blake is hyper aware of her social standing, and the two of us suddenly had a chronically absent/tardy student who might not get credit this year because of all her attendance issues.
> 
> Weiss however has trouble understanding how Blake can't seem to function and is equal parts empathetic and frustrated, and it pushes her to the pre-therapy thinking that she doesn't really have it that bad. Not compared to someone else. Cue Ruby being the team therapist for her :)
> 
> And while none of them are really old enough (freshmen in high school and all) we nod to the Bumblebees of the internet. Technically that's our second favorite ship but it's such a distant second compared to OzQrow. And Yang breaking down Blake's door... sometimes she really takes after her uncle.
> 
> Also Qrow. For the first time in the fic he managed to hold in being belligerent to someone he didn't like - all because he had Oz in his ear. Awwwwwww... And was that light flirting we heard on the phone? And Oz PARTICIPATING?
> 
> Next chapter: the emotional halfway point of the fic, our HANDS DOWN favorite chapter of the entire story, and a veritable cavalcade of fluff. Must be and OzQrow chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

New Year's was usually spent at Tai's, watching Times Square and seeing how long the girls could _actually_ stay up before they fell asleep under a pile of blankets on the couch. With all the contact with Winter and the Belladonnas this year, however, the Belladonnas had invited them over to watch the Ball Drop for a New Year's party. The Pines were invited, as was Winter, and theirs was the only house big enough to manage that many adults and teenagers in one spot.

Qrow and Tai arrived at eight, Yang and Ruby's arms filled with bags. "Weiss! Blake! Your presents!" Meanwhile Tai had brought over finger food and Qrow had bought fish sticks for Blake and crackers for the Belladonnas.

"Hello, welcome!" they said, Ghira in a thick white turtleneck and hoodie. Kali was in jeans and sweater with an exaggerated turtleneck. Qrow figured there was probably some fancy name for it. They moved to the kitchen where there were all kinds of casseroles and pizza, tiny little cupcakes with gold frosting, buttered noodles and two kinds of salads.

"We tried to be thoughtful of everyone," Ghira said, "but I know Blake will love the fish sticks."

"How's she doing?" Tai asked.

"A little better every day," Kali said. "She says she asked a question in class, which for her is huge. I can't thank your daughters enough for everything they've done." In her hair were cat ears, clearly meant to be in solidarity with her daughter, and she pulled out glasses. "What can I get you?" she asked, "Wine? Champagne? Beer?"

Qrow immediately raised his hand, Tai simultaneously pointing to him. "Designated driver," they said in chorus.

Kali laughed. "Oh, that's assuming you don't stay the night," she said brightly. "But if you're going to be the sober man here make sure you get any good compromising pictures of Ghira and send them to me, would you? I like to have something over him once in a while."

" _Kali_."

"Don't even start, honey, you know you like it when I blackmail you."

"I'll have some wine," Tai said. "I don't usually indulge, this is a treat."

"Of course. Here, let me show you the selection."

Qrow turned to Ghira as Tai and Kali moved to the other side of the kitchen. "You keep a lot of alcohol in the house?"

"It's not uncommon for us to have a bottle of wine at night to unwind," Ghira said. "New Year's is when we really go all out though. Kali has it in her head that alcohol has an expiration date and she wants to make sure it's all gone at the turn of every year."

Qrow offered a flat gaze. "You know that's a load of bull, right?"

" _I_ do, and she _says_ she does, but somehow every year we have a party and it all just… disappears. Good thing it's a weekend. Tomorrow will be _terrible_ , but all in the best ways."

Qrow snorted and moved to the living room. Lights were still hanging around the walls and fireplace, and Blake and Weiss were admiring their matching cat-ear headphones, black and white, or rather "Blake and Weiss," as Ruby was explaining.

"They're bluetooth, so no more chords."

"These are expensive, how long were you saving?"

"Since the first day I saw you wearing the headband!" Ruby said brightly. "Yang helped. We wanted to make you feel better, and you and Weiss are so close now so we figured better to make them match!"

"That's so thoughtful," Weiss was saying, pulling them out of their casing and trying them on. "They're even noise canceling…"

"Oooh, you look so cute! Blake, try yours on!"

"Do you two have matching ones, too?" Blake was asking.

"We didn't have enough time to save up," Yang explained, and Qrow watched his niece's face turn bright pink once the cat ears were on. God, she had it bad. He smiled and shook his head, pulling out his phone to snap a picture.

The doorbell rang shortly thereafter and Qrow said he'd get it.

Winter was there, wrapped tightly in a coat and glaring as soon as she saw who was at the door.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Well," she replied, "Look what the birdbrain managed to accomplish."

They shared a smile and Qrow let her in. She immediately grabbed a glass of wine and offered a bottle of her own. Qrow filched a plate of food and found Tai sitting in the dining room talking to Ghira about work. "... And now that young Winter's class action suit has three hundred signatures we might actually see real change. Schnee can't pay off that many people, the door to door really got the word out. We found more people…"

Qrow debated on listening to the story of Screwing Jacques-ass Schnee or avoiding Vaguely Political Talk before Ruby darted past him, Blake in tow, shouting "But we brought _fish sticks!_ " and nearly knocking him over. Chuckling, he moved back to the living room and kicked back in one of the chairs, Yang talking to Weiss about school starting on Monday and if the last of their homework was done. He turned on the TV and set the station to Times Square but kept it on mute - they still had a couple of hours before the good entertainment came on - but he had a position to watch the girls wander in and out of the room, sometimes watching the TV, sometimes sequestered in a corner somewhere gossiping. Winter called Weiss over to the kitchen as Kali came in with a glass of wine to talk to Ruby and Yang. Tai came in with a can of beer and the funny smile that said "I'm totally tipsy" as he sat on the couch for an animated conversation with Kali about the good bars around town.

Qrow listened and smiled, knowing where most of Tai's stories came from, and he took pride in the fact that even with everything around him he wasn't tempted. How could he be? The girls were having the time of their lives chasing each other around the house, Tai was animated and happy, and he was surrounded by good friends. The only thing missing was-

"Hello, Professor!"

"Sorry we're late. It's starting to sleet outside and that always makes driving slightly precarious."

"You mean it's snowing _now_ instead of last week? That's just cheap!"

"Yang, I don't think nature cares about numbers on a calendar."

"Doesn't matter, Oscar, it's still cheap!"

Oz came in and Tai immediately got up to offer his seat for the professor. "Kept it warm for you!" he said. "They've got some good booze here, you want any?"

"If there's some champagne I will partake."

"Okay, I'll hook you up-"

" _We got the house!_ "

Weiss ran into the room and almost fell into the other girls, Oscar ducking out of the line of fire. "The closing is next week! I get to live with my sister!"

"Oh my god, I don't believe it!"

"That's amazing!"

"Congratulations!"

"Dad, can we have champagne to celebrate?"

" _Absolutely not._ "

"Damn, had to try."

"Oscar, did you hear the good news?"

"... I think the entire house did."

" _I'm going to live with my sister!_ "

"Here," Kali said, "This _is_ cause for celebration."

Drinks were passed around, Qrow putting his immediately on the end table as far away from him as possible - where Oz took it and pulled it closer to himself - and they all gave toasts and congratulations to the Real Schnees for life without the Jacques-ass.

"It's hardly a complete victory," Winter said, even as she sipped her champagne. "We still don't have Whitley and the custody battle is still a long way from finishing, but now one more step has been made."

"And it's not an insignificant step," Oz said from his seat, lifting his glass in toast. "Finding a place to live after a sudden break is not easy, and the accomplishment should be celebrated for what it is and not demurred for what is still to come. I remember what it was like when I finally found a home here, and the relief should be treasured."

"I'll drink to that," Qrow said, lifting his can of soda. He got up for a second round of food, but by then it was ten and everyone moved into the living room to watch the TV. Kali was giving Winter a hand massage, kneeling at the executive's seat to do so and explaining what she was doing while Ghira and Tai were discussing martial arts, somehow, and what styles were the best. Oscar was curled next to his dad watching the TV and the girls were all spread out on the floor, discussing moving strategies and packing strategies and what day the move would be and how they could help. After the hand rub Kali moved to Oz and offered to give him a foot massage, something the professor considered for a long moment before assenting. Kali carefully moved his bad leg to the floor, removing both shoe and sock and began her work.

Qrow watched Oz's face, knowing he wouldn't make much noise, but he barely gave any indication that he was being serviced by a massage therapist.

"Am I gonna get one, too?" Qrow asked, lifting a foot up and wiggling it.

Kali turned from her ministrations and gave a narrow, calculating gaze. "You strike me as a shoulder type," she said. "All that slouching must be _terrible_ on your spine. I'd need you flat on your stomach for that."

Qrow offered a sideways grin. "I'm not against it," he said, "but wouldn't your husband be a little jealous? I mean, you _would_ be seeing me shirtless."

"He wouldn't have to know, now, would he?"

"Hey, Ghira! Just so you know your wife wants to see me shirtless. Should I oblige?"

"... What?" Ghira asked, having been totally lost in his conversation with Tai and Winter. Qrow dutifully snapped a picture and sent it to Kali with the caption, _when your husband doesn't realize you're propositioning someone._ Kali's grin was downright _evil_ , and Qrow had the sudden suspicion that Ghira was about to have a very difficult future.

"Don't worry," Tai said, nodding sagely, "there are a lot of people who want to see Qrow shirtless, and he's not very picky about who he shows off to."

"Hey, I have standards," Qrow countered.

" _Now_ you do, but I could tell everyone here about some of your disasters."

"Do that and I tell them about the corset and thong."

"Do _that_ and I tell them about your failed plan for a winter speedo."

"Why do adults have to be so _embarrassing?_ "

"Why do teenagers need to be so _prudish_?"

"Please, let them stay prudish," Oz said politely. "Some of us want to survive the next ten years."

Everyone laughed.

Qrow started checking the clock, but Ruby and Yang did a good job staying up. Blake was struggling and Weiss was literally nodding off; Oscar was long gone, curled into his dad and slowly sliding to his lap. Oz watched with a gentle smile on his face, running a free hand through his son's hair as he sipped his wine. The countdown started and Ghira and Kali were already sharing a kiss, Yang flailing in glee that they'd finally made it and startling Weiss awake. Tai took a drink from his beer to avoid Ruby shouting that everyone needed to kiss and Winter was doing the same. Qrow laughed, and just like that it was the new year.

"Can we go to bed now?"

Wait, what?

"Designated driver, remember?" Qrow said. "I thought we were going home."

"Yeah, but… it's really late, and it's still sleeting out, and Blake said she wanted to have a sleepover. Weiss said she can put her things in Blake's room so you guys can have her room and-"

"Go ahead and stay over," Ghira said. "This is a three bedroom house, there's a pullout sofa in the office and some sleeping bags in our camping gear. There's enough room for everyone, and Kali has a great hangover cure for the morning."

"Yes, please, if the roads are dangerous this isn't the time for anyone to be driving." She got up from her husband's lap and quickly finished her glass of wine. "Let me get the sleeping bags… The boys can all sleep in Weiss' room if she's sleeping with Blake, and Winter can have the pullout bed in the office."

"Well," Winter drew out, finger sliding down her cheek. "If you insist." She pulled out her bun, hair falling in thick tresses around her face and suddenly looking completely different. Qrow noticed Tai double taking, as did Ghira, and Qrow quickly snapped another pic for Kali, _When you realize someone half your age is hot_ before putting his phone down.

The adults moved upstairs - sans Oz and his bad leg - to set up the arrangements. As the designated sober member of the group, Qrow made sure Oz and Oscar had the full bed so he and Tai could have the sleeping bags. He and Tai pulled out the sofa bed for Winter as Kali wandered in with blankets and Ghira gently assembled some of Weiss' things to move into Blake's room. Tai was curled up and asleep in seconds as Winter closed the door to set herself up.

The girls were already filing upstairs, Ruby and Yang still bright-eyed but not completely bushy-tailed, and murmuring to themselves. Qrow went downstairs, but Oscar and Oz were still on the couch, the latter trapped by the former because he was still asleep.

Smiling, Qrow leaned over and gave the boy a gentle shake on the shoulder. "Hey," he whispered, "Time for bed."

Oscar mumbled something, but eventually stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Don't wake up too much," Oz said gently. "You're just going to bed."

"Mm," was all Oscar could produce, and Qrow started maneuvering him upstairs and to the guest bed. Oscar pulled off his shoes and socks and curled into the blankets.

"I'll be right back with your dad," Qrow said, pulling the covers up. Tai was already snoring softly in his sleeping bag, making Qrow smirk to know what a lightweight he was.

Back downstairs again, and Oz was still on the couch, foot still up on the coffee table. Two empty glasses were next to him - actually three, with Qrow's toasting glass apparently having been emptied, and he was spinning one of the glasses in his lap, so relaxed he appeared to be half sunk into the couch, head resting on its back. His eyes were open and mostly alert, brows creased in a small frown.

Qrow caught his gaze, and Oz smiled. "One of the burdens of being an academic," he said, "is that sometimes the mind simply will not quiet."

Qrow sat next to Oz, sitting at an angle to see him better. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Several things," Oz answered, "The dreaded Wintersession next week. My schedule for next semester - I won't be able to pick up Oscar every day, and I know he won't like that. Determining how to muster up the energy to get up and navigate the stairs. Wondering if skipping my evening medication will affect my sleep tonight, or if my recent consumption will act as a sufficient counteragent." The last he said while holding up his empty flute before going back to softly spinning it in his hands on his lap. "Mostly, though, I'm reminiscing."

"Good memories, I hope," Qrow said, putting his head in his hand, watching the lamplight highlight Oz's white hair in profile.

"... I had so carefully planned my escape," Oz said, looking down at his glass. "I had picked the day she would be driving to the main office in the city. I didn't account for her forgetting something and coming back. She drove into the garage as I was putting our suitcases in my car."

… Bad memories then. Qrow settled in for the story, setting himself up in case he needed to interject.

"We fought, but I can say now that it was the first time I did not give ground. I did not even explain myself, simply said there was no reason to stay, nothing to salvage. I don't think she really knew how to react to that, but she let me go. She even said, 'I'm _letting_ you leave.' Even then she was taking control of the situation. I drove - somewhat recklessly - to school and signed Oscar out of school. He was so brave, he didn't say anything until we were on the highway and he realized we weren't going home. Once we were at Oakland International he realized he was taking his first flight, and for him it was an adventure."

Silence descended, the empty silence of a house totally asleep, giving the sensation that he and Oz were the only people in the world. It was soft, mostly comfortable but the look on Oz's face gave an edge to it.

"Must've been hard," Qrow offered.

Oz closed his eyes and smiled, still half sunken into the couch. "I hadn't found a place to live," he said. "When we landed I had no idea where to go. I had wanted to book a hotel but I wasn't sure how long I would be staying. I'd already been to the bank back home to get myself pre-approved for a mortgage, but my first priority was getting to Ms. Hill and start filing the divorce. The semester had just ended, and I had three months to find a job, find a home for Oscar, get his name changed for school, and pay for… everything. I'd liquidated my retirement into a separate account but that money was finite.

"I was lucky in some respects. Beacon hired me almost on the spot, and I taught both summer sessions. I had to bring Oscar with me because I didn't have anyone to look after him. It was the better part of a month to find a home far enough away from campus that I felt like she wouldn't find it, and I put the house in Oscar's name to obscure it even further. We moved in the second week of school. By then… even with summer teaching the money was gone, and I was in debt. Salem took everything in the divorce, except for Oscar."

Qrow swallowed, picturing it. No wonder his hair went white.

"I went six months without time or money for physical therapy," he continued, "And I will pay for that for the rest of my life." He looked down at his leg, still bare from the footrub.

"Hey," Qrow said, voice soft. "It's a little cheesy, but… I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Oz shook his head minutely, and his fingers finally stilled around the wine glass. "It was worth it," he said, "because Oscar is safe, and healthy." He took a long, slow breath through his nose. "My only regret," he continued, "was that, after the move, I was so lonely."

Then, at last, he turned his head minutely to the side, catching Qrow's gaze, and the dim lamplight made his brown eyes look almost gold. "Then I met you."

[ ](https://www.deviantart.com/mirrorandimage/art/And-Then-I-Met-You-850506907)

…. What?

Qrow bit his lip and looked down, instantly hard and holding himself back from jumping the professor immediately. That was so _corny_ , but it was also so _sincere_ and Qrow had no idea how Oz could just _say_ stuff like that. He dragged a hand down his face and firmly reminded himself that sex was not a thing Oz was interested in, but he had to give a crooked grin and say, "Keep saying stuff like that, Oz, and I'm gonna end up kissing you."

The thoughtful frown from earlier drifted across Oz's features, as if he were actually considering the statement. He looked at Qrow again.

"I think I would like that," he said softly.

_Fuck_ there was no helping it after that.

Qrow leaned in and pressed his lips to Oz. There was a spark, static electricity, probably, but it jolted right down Qrow's back. Oz gave a soft hum, somewhere in his throat, low and relaxed, and Qrow slid his tongue along his lips in askance. Oz parted his lips but not his teeth, a silent boundary and Qrow respected it, for now savoring the taste of sugar cookies and champagne. A hand reached up and cupped Oz's cheek and _Jesus Christ_ this felt good, good, good, _good_ and it was only sheer force of will that he managed to pull back and stop himself from just _fucking Oz to next week_. A hundred filthy thoughts and pictures blew through Qrow's mind and he held his breath, knowing he would have to finish off later.

Oz was staring at him, gold eyes dilated, considering the kiss. Languid on the couch for the entire time, he finally summoned the energy to sit up more fully, to meet Qrow at a level.

"I enjoyed that," he said. "Please do it again."

_He was going to fuck him to next fucking year he swore to god…_

"Oz, I swear to god, if you're too drunk to remember this tomorrow…"

"I assure you I'm well within my faculties. I would not want to forget this if I tried."

_Jesus_ how could this guy still sound like a _fucking professor_ right now and still be _so fucking hot_ … Qrow leaned in again.

Oz did part his teeth this time, and Qrow found more subtle tastes in his mouth as he explored. Oz explored as well, not nearly as experienced and Qrow smirked into the kiss, holding his libido for a moment so Oz could explore. The idea of battling teeth and tongue was _hot as hell_ , but one thing at a time. He pulled back, eventually, and kissed along Oz's cheekbone, first one side and then the other. He nipped at an earlobe and Oz hummed again, even lower in his register, and Qrow planted a hand on Oz's chest to feel the vibration, which was a _fucking turn on_ , and he moved to put an open mouthed kiss on Oz's neck.

The professor, languidly relaxed, immediately froze, muscles stiffening up and snapping his spine straight as hands grabbed at Qrow's shoulders. Qrow himself froze, the shock of the sudden turn killing the mood. He saw wide eyes, dark brown now, almost black, and the loss of color in his face. He was frozen, stock still, and he was utterly silent.

"Oz," Qrow said. " _Oz._ "

Finally the eyes closed, and he let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry," Oz said, one hand reaching to pull at his green turtleneck, and Qrow caught a glimpse of the mess of scars there, and he realized what happened.

_Fuck that fucking BITCH…!_

Qrow took a breath of his own. " _I'm_ sorry," he said. "I didn't put it together."

"How could you?" Oz said, color returning and then flooding his cheeks. "Fetishes are not exactly a common topic of conversation."

"Fetish? Oscar has those same scars."

"Fetishes are not always sexual," Ozpin said, taking another breath. "But seeing them on him was the last straw."

The moment drew out, mood killed but so much untapped potential pooled between them.

"I suppose this means I now know where I fall on the heteronormative scale," Ozpin muttered, and the sentence was so incongruous with what had happened that Qrow snorted a laugh.

"We gotta talk about this."

"Yes," Oz agreed. "In the morning, perhaps, when you've cooled down and I can think more coherently."

Qrow stood, still half hard, but he helped his significant other up to his feet, grabbing his long forgotten shoe, and started helping him up the stairs. Oz shed a few layers and slid into the sheets by his son, Oscar instinctively curling into his father, and Oz held him close. Qrow made one stop to the bathroom and much, _much_ later, he went to bed in his sleeping bag.

* * *

The question had been posed after coming out to his son, months ago: If being demi means you don't want the (eugh…) _sex_ until you know someone, then how do you know when you love them?

It had sent Ozpin into something of a mental tailspin, and he had told his son honestly that he didn't know, because he was still figuring himself out. It left him wondering all over again where he was on the ace spectrum, if he was grey instead of demi, why wasn't he in a new relationship four years after the move, and so on. He wanted the relationship - the hour drive home was always so _long_ , so _isolating_ , and on weekends he would sit on his front porch or his backyard, Oscar working on something, and he would feel so _lonely_. It was after Oscar had asked that question, however, that he had realized that loneliness no longer lingered around him.

After Salem… he had just assumed he would be celibate for the rest of his life. He had thought he would be okay with that, heaven knew he wasn't desperate for any kind of physical relationship, save for those moments of intense isolation. That had always made him uncertain where he was, that loneliness. And if, indeed, he was romantic, how would he know if he had found someone he loved? Media of every shape and form projected the idea that true love brought carnal desire, that physical intimacy was some kind of zenith to achieve, and without that particular drive Ozpin was a little put out to know if he was in love or not. But, that was why he was demi, wasn't it? He would not feel desire until he knew someone.

He thought he knew Salem. He thought he loved her. Those assumptions had been wrong on too many levels to count.

Hearing of Weiss' impending move had left him reminiscent, and as he spoke with Qrow he slowly realized what an over-thinker he was.

He no longer felt lonely.

That was because of Qrow.

Did it really need to be more than that?

Everything cemented with the kiss, because for the first time in years it was soft, chaste, pleasurable. Salem had never made him feel that good, and Qrow was more than happy to provide a second experience.

He still wasn't exactly desperate to have sex, but he was content now, knowing that he wanted to be in a relationship with Qrow. A romantic-gray-demi-bisexual? … He felt the definition too technical but he at least now could describe himself, and that felt good.

Their chance to talk hadn't arrived yet - after New Year's Qrow had a very hungover Tai and two girls to take care of, And Ozpin himself had a headache that he did not for one moment regret but was suffering under. They agreed with a look to wait and in the time since then Ozpin felt somewhat like a giddy schoolboy anticipating a date. He shook his head at the unbecoming nature of it all, but he was self-aware enough to allow himself to enjoy the feeling in privacy.

The first three weeks of January were always a special kind of hell, teaching for hours at a time to a schedule that prevented him from picking up Oscar; assigning an entire semester's worth of work in those three weeks and then _grading_ those assignments in a timely manner. A "quieter" campus didn't prevent the influx of work that he undertook. Moreover, he missed time with Qrow to talk in the middle school parking lot - the perfect chance to discuss boundaries, histories, whatever important information one needed when entering an adult relationship.

Still, he had Martin Luther King Day, a three day weekend, and he and Qrow planned to take the children to the movies to watch… something, giving them several hours to figure things out.

They bought tickets for the teens, sent them on their way with Qrow telling Yang specifically, "Don't get frisky!" making the teen turn bright red and look immediately and the much more relaxed Blake.

"Little hard to do with a cast!" she called back.

"I've done better with worse!" Qrow called after her, making both nieces utterly _cringe_ as they all but ran to the theatre. Not for the first time Ozpin was envious of the casual honesty Qrow could generate when talking about his prior exploits, but the two of them walked across the parking lot to the mall, moving in comfortable silence through the crowds before getting something at the eatery and sitting at one of the space's many tables.

For a moment they were quiet. Qrow was leaning back in his chair, always so loose and relaxed about any- and everything. Ozpin wasn't _nervous_ , per se, but he felt awkward; he didn't know where to start.

"I suppose in the interests of being forthright I should admit that I'm not overly experienced in this part of a relationship," he confessed. "What things should we even discuss?"

Qrow smirked. "Couple of salient points," he said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table. "Awkward stuff first: I only had unprotected sex once in my life, when I was sixteen and stupid. As soon as Tai and Summer heard - don't ask - they dragged me to a doctor and had me checked out for everything under the sun. Got checked out again in rehab - blackout drunk meant I couldn't assume I hadn't done something stupid, but I came back clean again. No relationships since then, but if you're not comfortable with that I'll get another check up."

"No," Ozpin said, "I trust you. You've always been very open about your… experiences. I fear I'm not that informative. I was in a monogamous relationship for fifteen years and we were hardly… experimental. I've no transmitted illnesses that I know of, but it never occurred to me to get tested."

Qrow nodded. "Figured as much. Next awkward question: you got any triggers I need to know about?"

Ozpin had been expecting that. "Of that I am uncertain except for the one you already know: my neck."

"What'd she use?"

"Whatever was handy, usually a belt or sheet, but sometimes it was a sleeve of a shirt or twine or a power cord. Whatever she could get her hands on."

"She got off on it?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Sometimes there was no intercourse," he said, "she said she enjoyed the feeling of power it gave her, and she said asphyxiation would make the pleasure more intense."

"And did it?"

"She would usually wait until just seconds before I blacked out, so: no. Sometimes I did black out. It was never pleasant."

"Fucking _bitch_. If I ever meet her I'll be changed with murder."

Oz smiled. "Then it's a good thing she's no idea where I live. But… I'd rather not talk about her."

"No argument here," Qrow said. "I'm a toucher, I like my hands everywhere. I love sucking dick or having my dick sucked. Anal is great but I gotta be in the mood for it. I curse a lot, and I've been told I bite hard if I'm really going."

"I regret to say I have no experience in any of those categories. I fear I won't be very satisfactory as a lover."

Qrow openly laughed. "Trust me, Oz, I won't have any problems being 'satisfied' fucking you. I was ready that night to do you for all eternity."

The word association made Ozpin smirk. "You wanted to 'fuck my life?'" he asked dryly.

Qrow blinked, then laughed even louder, and Oz found himself feeling flattered that someone was _that_ interested in him. Qrow hadn't been particularly subtle, granted, but now that it was out in the open, his unrepressed regard for Ozpin made him smile - he felt like a schoolboy again, and he covered his mouth before he said something even more inappropriate.

"Anything you do like?" Qrow asked, "Other than existential debate over innuendo?"

"... I don't really know," Oz replied. "I always did as Salem requested, and aside from the one fetish we never really branched out. For now I suppose I'll be satisfied with simply not passing out from asphyxia."

"Heh, trust me. We'll work on that. Next question," and here Qrow paused, shifting his weight in his seat. Discomfort? Now, after everything else that had been said? "Not sure how to ask, really, but as a demi, how often are we talking here?"

Ozpin blinked, surprised - not at the question itself but that it was even asked, and what it said about Qrow. Salem had never considered Oz being in the "mood," outright denied that he wasn't always interested in the sex. To have someone actually ask him how often he wanted… Oz couldn't remember ever having that level of sensitivity granted him.

"Qrow," he said, reaching out. "I will be more than happy to inform you when I have an urge to be intimate with you. But don't think that means you have to practice some kind of abstinence until that moment. If you are in that mood, I will be more than happy to please you. You forget that sex is an excellent form of exercise and does provide a rush of dopamine when done correctly. I look forward to that particular uptick in my neurochemistry, but there's something neither of us have mentioned."

"And what's that?"

Ozpin tapped his cane to his leg. "I don't know how much of a hindrance this will be."

Qrow leaned over the edge of the table, studying Oz's leg, a pouting frown on his face. "How much weight can you really put on it?" he asked. "Like if you lost your cane could you walk?"

"Yes," Oz said, leaning back. "But it's very painful, and as you've no doubt observed, bending it is less than pleasant. The accident shattered my femur, two pieces are somehow in my knee, the spread of bone fragments were so bad. I was going to have surgery to remove them but…"

"Can you get it now?"

"I'd rather be out of debt first," Ozpin said, sighing. "I'm still some time out from paying off the last of my debts, not the least of which is the 'irreparable damages' Salem levied against me during the divorce. She said my leaving in the manner that I did was psychologically traumatizing. Ms. Hill wanted me to fight that but by that point I just wanted it over with."

"Just when I think I can't hate the bitch more… How did you even fall for her?"

"She puts on a _very_ good public face," Ozpin said, resting his head in his hand. "Regardless, I worry - again - that I won't be very satisfying."

Qrow gave a large, roguish smile. "I'm not too worried," he said. "I'll take that as a creative challenge. I think it's safe to say blowjobs and handjobs won't stress you out too much. We can start there and branch out." He waggled his eyebrows. "I await your _cum_ mand."

Ozpin offered a flat look and worked to keep his lips from twitching. Then Ozpin raised his brow imperiously. "Are you _cumming_?"

Choking, Qrow quickly set down his drink and crossed his legs. "Oh, you talking dirty is _definitely_ going to be a joy."

That actually made Ozpin blink. Qrow was getting turned on? By Ozpin? He shook his head. Salem had always been about power. She didn't get flustered like this, even when they were dating. It was… odd to have that power over Qrow. And pleasing in a way Ozpin was too scared to think more deeply about at the moment.

"There's another aspect that I doubt you've had to discuss," Ozpin said. "Oscar."

Qrow still squirmed, but his face was all business. "I know. My nieces have been telling him for what, a year? That we've been dating."

"But now we are," Ozpin nodded. "Oscar comes first. No matter what. His safety is paramount."

"Ditto for my girls. Though you have to know they'll be thrilled to see us together."

"Well, they haven't exactly been subtle," Ozpin smiled. "But Oscar has only known having me in his life or back when Salem was in our lives. I don't know how this will affect him."

"So do we tell him together or what?"

Oz frowned, mulling it over. "I should talk to him myself, I think," he said finally. "For a very long time it was just the two of us, and I think it appropriate that this be the last 'just the two of us' moment we have."

"So we don't exactly go back to the movie holding hands," Qrow said with an easy smile. "I think I can handle that. And with Wintersession and stuff he has some time to get used to it all, and _I_ have time to make plans."

That made Ozpin flush more than he wanted. He confessed, "I am equal parts frightened and intrigued by that sentence."

"And that's the right reaction to have," Qrow said with a downright _lecherous_ grin, and Oz wondered just what he had gotten himself into. "Another question, and we're getting uncomfortable again: what was _she_ like?"

Oz blinked. "I don't understand."

"I told you what I like, you don't know what you like. What did _she_ do - vanilla just says you two weren't creative. Did she use her mouth or her hands? Both? Was she a scratcher or a stroker? That kind of thing. You've said it was never pleasant, and _I_ for one have no intention of doing anything _she_ did."

"I see," Oz replied, reaching back to his memories. He shifted uncomfortably - this was not something he even liked thinking about, let alone talking to someone he loved with. "If we're assigning labels… No, she never used her mouth all that much; now that I think of it she was not much of a kisser at all. She did a lot of pinching, she thought discomfort was pleasurable. For her, perhaps it was. Sometimes there was scratching - she always kept her nails long. She was never…" He frowned, trying to find the right way to explain, shifting in his seat again. "She was never _soft_ , if that's an appropriate word."

"It is," Qrow said, nodding. He shifted his chair, moving it so that he was next to Ozpin. "Gotta say, you've had a time of it. We'll go slow, get you comfortable first and see what you like second. For now, like I said, I'm a toucher." He reached out and wrapped an arm around Ozpin's shoulders. He tensed for a moment, but it was _soft_ , and he relaxed. Qrow put his head on Oz's shoulder, and it fit perfectly. Qrow was warm, and Oz tilted his head to rest on his partner's. _Yes_ , he thought, this will be very soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (self-indulgent blissful sigh) Aaaah, how do we gush about this chapter without sounding self-congratulatory? This chapter makes us smile more than any other chapter in the fic - including the ending - because it's all OzQrow fluffy goodness.
> 
> We get quite a few more details from Oz's Year of Hell, and the checklist is getting pretty long. Like Weiss and like us, he had a plan when he escaped, but unlike Weiss he got caught and, well, real life happened. Imagine having nowhere to stay while looking for a job and starting a divorce at the same time. Has anyone ever been homeless in a hotel? God it was stressful.
> 
> But that's all tertiary: they finally, FINALLY, got together. Aaaaaah it makes us smile even thinking about it let alone reading it. We have a few small crunches of drama here and there but who even cares, Oz is equal parts corny and sincere, Qrow can't get enough of him, and it's all soft and warm and happy. They even have an adult conversation about expectations as they go into a relationship! Do other fanfics do that? We feel like we're the first...
> 
> Oz still has a lot to learn about himself, but Qrow has experience and all the patience in the world to make Oz happy. It's so sweet it's saccharine! Just... augh, we gotta stop now before we embarrass ourselves.
> 
> Also booooo why doesn't the img work...?
> 
> Next chapter: Tai and Clover tag-team Qrow, and Oscar tries to figure out what to think about Qrow. That's SURE to go well...


	19. Chapter 19

Oscar thought he was okay with this.

His dad had spoken to him about the idea of him dating and Oscar had liked the idea. He knew his dad could be very lonely, and the idea of his dad going out and being happy was what Oscar wanted.

"Is it Mr. Qrow?" Oscar had asked.

And his dad's cheeks turned a little pink as he smiled gently. "Yes."

Given that Mr. Qrow _had_ supported his dad and was one of the reasons he wasn't so lonely anymore, Oscar was perfectly fine with that.

On paper, everything was great, it was what he wanted.

In practice, however…..

It was little things.

Oscar was always picked up by his dad. It was their thing. Oscar liked being in the car as they drove home, talking about his day. Depending on what they were discussing, they'd go for ice cream, or go over to join Mr. Qrow and Ruby and Yang, or they'd just go straight home. Either way, it was his time with his dad. When they'd moved here and his dad got the job at Beacon, he'd explained, as he did every year before a semester started, that he didn't have as much control over his schedule and that Oscar needed to be prepared to just go home on the bus sometimes.

But even though he'd been explaining that for over four years now, it had never happened. And now it had. Every Tuesday and Thursday, his dad taught a 2:00 class. That ended at 3:15, and then the hour drive back, his dad wouldn't be getting home till close to 4:30. So Mr. Qrow would pick him up.

It _should_ be fine. Oscar had been warned, several times, that his dad might not pick him up depending on semester schedules; Oscar _wanted_ his dad to be happy with someone and not look so lonely; Oscar was fine with Mr. Qrow. It should be _great_.

But once the spring semester started, it _wasn't_ fine. He didn't like that he wasn't getting picked up by his dad twice a week, he didn't like not seeing his dad till late in the afternoon, he didn't like being with Mr. Qrow without his dad, it was just… all wrong. There wasn't baking those afternoons, there wasn't time to go over his homework together, there wasn't time for Oscar to do what he usually did to help his dad after such a long drive, and Mr. Qrow was starting to do that as well. That was _Oscar's_ job.

It was _Oscar's_ job to know when his dad needed a hot bath, it was _Oscar_ 's job to get dinner if it was a painful day, it was _Oscar_ 's job to look after his dad.

But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, his dad came home and Mr. Qrow would help him to the chair, not Oscar. Mr. Qrow would gently rub his bad leg, not Oscar. Mr. Qrow ordered dinner, not Oscar.

And Oscar was getting resentful.

He'd come out of his room when he finished his homework and find Mr. Qrow sitting on the arm of his dad's chair, leaning over and kissing him. That was the part that Oscar was supposed to be happy about, he _knew_ he was supposed to be happy about it, but he just scowled, made a lot of noise to interrupt them, and brought his homework over to check.

One night, after Qrow had left, his dad sat down with him.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I thought you were happy for me to be seeing Qrow."

"I am," Oscar said, a touch sullenly.

His dad shook his head. "You're not."

Oscar rolled his eyes. "I'm _fine_."

Raised brow.

"Really, I'm fine. You deserve to be happy."

A heavy sigh and his dad heaved himself up and came over to sit next to Oscar, slinging an arm around him.

Even _that_ made Oscar mad. That was something his dad only ever did to _him_ , and now he was doing it to Mr. Qrow as well.

"Oscar," he said softly, "we are adjusting to a new normal. It's okay to not like things. It's okay to get irritated. When your mother and I married and moved in together, there were growing pains for it. Simple things like where shampoo was stored, or who did which chores, how to organize the kitchen. Going to college had an adjustment phase as well, especially since we were married and our classmates weren't. Even moving here, you and I needed time to adjust to all the small things. The climate, having to deal with snow, how to divide chores when we finally got this house. It's _okay_."

Oscar huffed. "It's _not_ okay. This should be the best thing ever, and it's _not_."

They sat together quietly for a while before his dad spoke.

"I think that's something we all have to deal with. We all have a dream of how things should be or will be, but reality doesn't always match." A hand came up and ran through Oscar's hair. "I had an image in my mind of what married life would be like, what married life with your mother would be like. It didn't match reality. Even now, I have an image of what being with Qrow is like, and this time my reality is closer to what I imagine. But it's still not the same."

"I just…" He didn't want to share. He wanted his dad happy, but he didn't want to lose all the time he had with his dad. Oscar knew a little about Mr. Qrow, but if Mr. Qrow was going to be a part of their lives… how did that even work?

"It's alright, Oscar. This is new to all of us. Take all the time you need."

Oscar just sighed. He couldn't figure out how to be happy for his dad being happy, even though he _wanted_ his dad happy. It was such a mess.

It was a week later when Oscar came out of the middle school to see Mr. Qrow there, that Oscar decided he'd had enough. He could see Mr. Qrow sitting on the hood of his car, like always, and Oscar just shook his head and got on the bus instead.

He got home and locked the door behind him, intent on not letting Mr. Qrow in. Oscar just wanted some time to sort all this out.

Naturally, within a half hour, Mr. Qrow walked in, a scowl on his face.

"That wasn't overly nice, kid."

Oscar frowned right back. "I locked you out."

"I have a key."

That surprised him. "Since _when_?"

"Just after your dad and I decided to be a thing," Qrow stood tall and crossed his arms. "Now are you gonna tell me why you're being so pissy? Or are you going to keep being childish?"

"I'm _not_ being childish," Oscar gowled. "It's _fine_. Dad's finally happy and he _should_ be."

"But you're not."

Oscar stomped away.

Mr. Qrow's long legs swung and suddenly he was in front of Oscar, blocking his way. "Oscar," he said softly, if still irritated, "you've been sulking and pouting since your dad and I got together. He's been worried about you and you're all he talks about. If you won't tell him why you're acting like a brat, then tell _me_."

"Don't call me a brat," Oscar growled back. "You don't know me."

"Of course not, you're too busy pouting to let me know you outside of being a friend of my girls and one of the best things your dad has going for him."

"Don't try and butter me up!" he shouted back.

Mr. Qrow rolled his eyes. "I'm not. Now stop avoiding the question. _What is wrong_?"

" _Nothing!_ "

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter," Mr. Qrow said firmly. "I'm sure your dad's mentioned some of the stuff I've gone through, I _know_ avoidance and evasion measures. I _invented_ half of them. The more you avoid it, the more you're getting bratty, the more your dad is worried. It doesn't take a genius to see-"

" _Stop acting like you know us!_ " Oscar shouted. "You weren't _there_! You don't know what it was like! You don't know what it was like when we came here! You don't know _anything_."

Mr. Qrow's posture changed. His arms uncrossed, and he slouched forward, running a hand through his hair. "You're right; I wasn't there."

"You don't get it! You just don't _get_ it!" Oscar just kept shouting. "You didn't see him in the wheelchair when he came home. You didn't give him sponge baths because he couldn't take a shower or bath. You didn't help him get changed in the morning and listen to him apologize all the time that you had to help. You didn't watch Mom get angry and have Dad pull her to a room for the argument and _then_ help Dad catch his breath. You weren't _there_ so you don't _know_ -"

Oscar choked on his own words, feelings that had been stuffed and buried surging forward and he could feel his cheeks burning and his eyes leaking. " _No one_ was there! No one was ever there! Not when Mom got angry! Not when Dad pulled her away! Not when Gretchen's brother came over! Not when Dad escaped! No one was _ever_ there but me!"

Mr. Qrow was kneeling down and slowly pulling Oscar into a hug. But Oscar wasn't really aware of that. He was too busy trying to hold back the tears.

"No one ever saw her when she was mad. No one ever saw Dad after. No one ever _knew_ but me…"

A hand was rubbing up and down his back. "That's an awful lot for anyone to know. Especially a child."

"I didn't want to know…"

"It's okay."

"No it's not! Dad always thought I didn't know what Mom did. But I've _always_ known." _God_ the tears weren't stopping. "I knew what to say to make Mom not mad, I knew how to hide and let Dad handle it, but there was _never_ anyone else there…"

"People like that, they make sure no one else ever is."

"It has to be me…" Oscar said quietly. "I never _did_ anything. So it has to be me…"

"What has to be you?"

"I have to take care of Dad now. He spent _years_ taking the brunt of it. I have to take care of him now just to make up for it…"

"He doesn't see it that way."

"No… he doesn't…." Oscar sniffed, trying to get his breath back under control. "But I _have_ to make it up to him."

Arms squeezed around him and Oscar gave up and just cried.

Hands rubbed his back.

He was rocked back and forth.

Meaningless words that meant _everything_ were whispered in his ear, and it was _just like_ what his dad did that he cried even more.

Eventually, Oscar just sat back and scratched at his eyes. He was spent. He shook his head and looked over to Mr. Qrow.

Mr. Qrow ran a hand through his graying hair and offered a crooked smile. "So, you know your dad best. You've got a lot to teach me."

"I… what?"

"Oscar, you keep being there for your dad. That's not going to change. But," he reached out a long arm to place a hand on Oscar's shoulder, "you don't have to do it alone anymore. You've officially got back up, but you're going to have to train me to be really up to snuff."

Numb and exhausted, Oscar was still able to twitch his lips involuntarily into a smile.

"So, oh-master-of-all-things-Oz, where do we begin?"

* * *

It had started with a text.

_I think I'll be needing help getting out of the car_.

It was sent to both Qrow and Oscar, and they both looked at each other once they'd read the text.

"Okay, kid, how does this work?"

Oscar was worrying his hands a little, but he stood up to take charge. "Chances are something bumped into him or something. He'll probably need a bath just to loosen up. A heating pad."

"You get on that," Qrow said, standing. "I'll order delivery. I'm crap at cooking and the two of us are going to pamper the hell out of him."

Oscar stopped, frowned, and thought it over. "Okay."

Qrow nodded to himself, glad he was making headway. Oscar was a great kid, but apparently even though he wanted Oz happy, he hadn't really thought about how that would change things for him. They were working on it. Qrow found the best parts where when he acknowledged that Oscar knew better, like their current situation. And it was true. Oscar had taught Qrow a lot about how to work around Oz's leg. Lotions, creams, where to massage and how to massage, where the focus of pain usually was, there was no doubt that the kid had been paying very close attention for years and had things down to almost a science. Qrow had taken to texting Mrs. Belladonna from time to time for tips on what to do for improvements, but Oscar always shot those down.

He still needed time.

Dinner was a decidedly unhealthy pizza with all of Oz's favorite toppings, and Qrow was keeping it warm in the oven when they heard Oz pull in.

"Get the bath going," Qrow said. "I'll help him out."

"But I should-"

"Oscar," Qrow said softly, "I'm bigger. I can pull him out and take his weight better than you."

And Oscar was back to scowling and sullenly went to the bathroom to get the bath going.

Qrow went into the garage to find Oz leaning his head against the steering wheel. He walked around and opened the door.

"Oz?"

"Sorry," he said softly. "It just won't move."

"I got you."

It was something of a performance, trying to help Oz get his legs out without bending painfully, and then yanking him up to get an arm around Qrow's shoulders. They left the cane and briefcase in the car and Oscar came scurrying out to grab it as Qrow helped Oz hobble into the house. "Where to?"

Oz looked at his usual chair, piled high with pillows and, more importantly, _closer_ , then to the bathroom where the bath was running. He let out a sigh. "Bathroom," he said. "Better to loosen up first."

"Sure thing. Tell me what you need."

Oscar kept running around for various things, grabbing certain bath salts, getting pajamas and a robe, while Qrow stayed in the bathroom, and helped Oz settle first onto the lid of the toilet and then to help him undress more quickly.

"I'm sorry," Oz said softly.

"For what?"

Oz looked up from slipping off his belt. "I somehow doubt this is anything close to how you wanted to first undress me."

Qrow blinked, the idea of sex having been nowhere in his mind given that Oz was in his usual silent pain. "The thought hadn't even crossed my mind," he said. "Thanks for putting it there."

Oz gave a thoughtful hum.

"Gotta say," Qrow gave a crooked smile. "Now that we're discussing it, I do enjoy the view."

That actually got Oz to roll his eyes.

"Good muscle definition. Wouldn't have thought of you as toned, but I'm guessing you use a lot of upper body strength to make up for the leg?"

"That would follow," Oz said softly. Then he looked up. "I wouldn't ask this of anyone but…"

"You normally would struggle through taking the pants off alone?"

Oz looked away. "I've had to. I won't have Oscar do it, and there's never been anyone who could."

"But now I'm here." Qrow smiled, leaned forward, and gave a tender kiss. "You can relax, Oz. You've got back up now."

And Oz let out a gusty sigh, leaning his head forward to the crook of Qrow's neck. " _Thank you_."

After getting Oz into the bath for a good long soak, Qrow sat with Oscar.

"So how does this usually go?" he asked. "Do you eat now? Wait for your dad?"

"Eat now," Oscar said. "Dad… I don't know how long the bath will be. He's probably going to be massaging and trying to limber up his leg and that could take up to an hour. It's better to eat now."

"Can do. You get first slice."

It was about forty minutes later, when Qrow was going over Oscar's homework, that Oz hobbled out of the bathroom and went to his designated seat. Oscar was already moving over to gently start rubbing.

"Okay, Oz," Qrow said, sitting down across on the couch. "What happened?"

Oz let out a low hum, looking tired. "Stupidity," he replied with more bluntness than he usually offered.

"That's nice and vague."

"Sorry," Oz said. He reached out and rubbed a hand through Oscar's hair. "You know we're due for snow overnight."

"A good ten inches, the weather says," Qrow nodded. "I'm expecting a delay tomorrow, but the girls are saying snow day. It's supposed to end around midnight, two in the morning. Plenty of time to clean up."

Oz gave a wan smile. "Well, it's already snowing at Beacon. Earlier today they had spread salt and sand on all the walkways in a good thick layer. I didn't think of it, so I was walking at my normal speed to my two o'clock class."

"You fell," Oscar said, frowning severely.

"Not intentionally," Oz offered. "My shoes slid on all that salt and I went down."

"Ouch," Qrow winced.

"Indeed," Oz offered thinly. "One of my students saw and helped me up and get to class, but I don't usually sit down when I'm teaching. Add on that long drive home…"

"And it's a wonder you're moving," Qrow said. He looked to Oscar. "Does this happen often?"

"Not usually," Oscar said. "Dad usually knows better than to make me worry."

"I didn't-"

"Do I need to join him on campus to supervise him?"

Oscar offered an evil grin. "My dad _does_ need supervision sometimes. He's so smart and academic, he doesn't think of the world around him."

"You two-"

"The type to walk into an open manhole cover?"

"Maybe."

Qrow chuckled with Oscar at Oz's expense. "So, prof," Qrow kept talking to Oscar. "What's next in taking care of the absentminded-professor?"

Oscar looked to his dad. "Rest," he said firmly. And he _looked_ at his dad. "Snow means you're _not_ going in tomorrow."

Oz let out a sigh that was almost a pout. "Of course."

"I'll get you something to eat," Qrow said, standing and heading back to the kitchen.

Qrow kept following Oscar's lead in tag-teaming Oz to taking proper care of himself. ("No, you are not going to the office to get some grading done, you aren't leaving that chair.") Oz did insist on looking over Oscar's homework and Qrow sat back to watch. It seemed it wasn't about going over the homework, so much as Oz teaching more critical thinking to Oscar in questions and making him explain himself. Qrow took some mental notes for the next time he needed to work with Ruby or Yang.

It was nearing nine when Oz insisted on Oscar getting to bed and Qrow finally looked out the window.

"Well, shit," he said.

Oz looked over, brow raised.

"I know you said it was snowing in Beacon, but it's been snowing here. For a while."

"Oh dear." Oz got up with more grace than he was showing when he first got home and walked to the window Qrow was looking out. "That's a fair bit of snow."

"I think the weatherman got it wrong. That's eight inches already, and we'll still be getting snow after midnight."

"Stay the night."

And thus, everything in Qrow's brain screeched to a halt. "What?"

Oz kept staring at the snow. "Stay the night. It's too dangerous for you to go driving now. Tomorrow's your day off, correct?"

"That's why I stayed as late as I did."

Oz nodded. "Then stay."

And Qrow swallowed, because he could just _see_ all the trashy romance novels involving a couple snowed in and what that led to. Add on that Oz was in pajamas and his robe was open enough to show that collar bone off, and, well. Qrow _did_ have a very creative imagination.

But he took a breath and reeled in his libido. They had kissed and enjoyed exploring touches, but Oz was still getting used to a touch that wasn't, in his words, painful or careless. They'd made a shit-ton of progress, yes, but Qrow always asked Oz where the line was and held to that line. Time in the shower could always handle the rest.

"Go let Oscar know, please?"

"Yeah," Qrow nodded, and used his long legs to get upstairs. He knocked quietly on Oscar's door.

"...What?" was a sleepy question.

He cracked open the door. "Weather's gotten bad. Your dad's told me I'm staying over. Don't freak out at seeing me in the morning."

Oscar was on his elbows, glaring sleepily at the door. "Fine."

Right. Still not okay with the dating the dad thing yet. Still, Qrow felt like he'd made headway. He came downstairs to see Oz, more mobile, had cleaned up some. Nodding to himself, Qrow grabbed some of the pillows that Oz had used and got ready to set up the couch.

"What are you doing?" Oz asked from the kitchen.

Qrow turned, an eyebrow raised. "Setting up the couch."

And Oz's face screamed gratitude, but he shook his head. "No," he said. "You'll be in my bed, thank you."

And thus, Qrow's mind stuttered to a halt _again_. "Come again?"

Oz merely raised a brow. "You're going to end up there eventually anyway," he said lightly. "Why not now?"

"Oz," Qrow said slowly, "my pants are tight enough. You're going to make me cum by dangling that in front of me."

Oz gave a soft laugh. "And without any dirty talk this time," he muttered. "Qrow, we both know I'm still adjusting to touch. Eventually I will have to get used to touch when it's not expected. We've been able to do a lot of that. Your arms around me, patting my knee, leaning into me, I no longer stiffen. But what happens when I wake up?"

Okay, that was enough to at least _partially_ get through the arousal. (Oz _really_ shouldn't be having this conversation with his rob slipping open, does he even _realize_? Probably not….) "So no funny business, just seeing what it's like to have someone next to you?"

"Yes," Oz said. "You're much larger than Salem, so I don't expect a problem but…"

"You'd rather know. I can work with that," Qrow nodded. But his pants were still tight and he was still throbbing. "I'll need to use your shower first."

* * *

Ozpin had to admit, he wasn't expecting that the first time Qrow would be in his bed _wouldn't_ be after sex. He knew that they'd get there eventually, after more of the damage that Salem had done was healed, but last night, the opportunity arose and he went for it without really thinking about it. He just… didn't want Qrow to go home. So he extended the invitation and insisted.

After Qrow had alleviated himself in the shower and stripped down to his boxers and come to bed, Ozpin had just reached out and _held_ Qrow. He felt the size, the strength, the differing curves, the different sound of breathing, and the _warmth_.

That was when he knew that being with Qrow would never be like with Salem.

There was too much care and consideration, too much attention and above all, _softness_. Oz hadn't realized just how hard the relationship was with Salem. There were still times, even now that he had escaped and been away, that he looked back and wondered if it was really as bad as he thought it was. Now, though… He knew there was no turning back.

And Ozpin _loved_ it.

The partnership was balanced, it was discussed, it was revised, and it moved forward with say from both of them. With a say from Oscar as well. He had held Qrow close and fallen asleep more satisfied and content that he'd been in years. Idly, he wondered if the sex would be more enjoyable, but that was a fleeting thought. Mostly, he just enjoyed holding someone and knowing it was safe. Of that comforting weight on his chest and arms around his waist.

Waking up was also a different experience. Ozpin found that waking up, it was he who was being held. It was such a novel experience that Ozpin found himself lounging in it. Salem had been smaller than him and she didn't hold him. Indeed, by the end of their marriage Ozpin slept as far away from her as he could, even subconsciously.

But being _held_? Tenderly? Ozpin could feel the love all around him and he just… _relaxed._

Yes, his leg was hurting after falling on it, but… it didn't matter. This… This was peaceful; this was contentment; this was… a dream. One he didn't want to wake up from.

Ozpin shifted, giving a deep, happy hum, and carefully eased his bad leg over Qrow's legs so that the slight elevation could alleviate some of the stress on his hip. Levering himself up, he gave a sleepy, lingering kiss to Qrow's lips and settled back down to just listen to Qrow's heartbeat. It lulled him back to sleep and it was the most heavenly feeling Ozpin had felt in a long, long time.

When Ozpin woke up again, he realized that Oscar had apparently been sneaky last night and unplugged his alarm. He let out a sleepy sigh at the annoyance of that, and started planning out his morning and rearranging when he'd take his morning medication, which stretches he should skip to get back on track, and making his to-do lists for the morning.

And he was still in Qrow's arms. Ozpin smiled to himself and gave another kiss to his partner. This was certainly something he could get used to.

Qrow gave a sleepy moan and Ozpin realized why he'd woken up. Qrow was clearly in the middle of a dream and was twitching. Ozpin didn't particularly want to move, but he reached across Qrow to grab his phone and turn on the flashlight to get a better sense of things.

He leaned over. "Qrow?" he asked softly. "Are you awake?"

"...ozzz…" and Qrow gave a sleepy kiss and a hand ran gently up and down Ozpin's back.

"Ah, a sexual dream..." Ozpin muttered. "Qrow, you're going to need to finish in the shower, I don't want to do laundry today." He reached out to turn on the light properly, but arms held tight, yet gentle around him, and Qrow gave another sleepy kiss.

Ozpin let out a low, happy hum, because he did like that Qrow dreamed of him, but he _did_ have to worry about morning medication, stretches, and the work he wasn't allowed to do that night. He kissed back a bit more firmly, in hopes of getting Qrow to wake up, and something must have worked, because Qrow's eyes fluttered open.

"...Oz..? … good dream…"

Hips were starting to sleepily thrust. Ozpin gave an affectionate look, ran a hand up Qrow's face and into his messy graying hair, but reached over and turned on the light.

Qrow scowled. "Hhey!" he growled. "What?"

"It's morning," Ozpin, settling back into Qrow's arms. And he waited and watched Qrow's face as mental processes started to function again.

"Morning… _fuck_ … what…" Qrow blinked again. "We didn't fuck last night."

"No," Ozpin said with a bright smile. "But I think we've made a significant step." And he leaned forward and kissed him.

" _Jesus_ , Oz," Qrow muttered when he pulled away. "I woke up harder than carbon fiber. You're not _helping_." But Qrow was still smiling.

"Ah, yes," Ozpin said lightly. "The human male desire for a penis to penetrate something for friction."

Qrow choked. " _Oz_! You talking dirty doesn't help!"

Ozpin gave another happy hum and Qrow _shook_. The sex may not be what Ozpin thought of, or often desired, but seeing Qrow bothered? Knowing that he caused that? There was a certain delight in that.

Still, work to do.

He carefully sat up and pushed the sheets down, intent on stretching out his leg to start his stretches so that he could actually get _out_ of bed. What Ozpin _wasn't_ expecting was to see just _how_ painfully hard Qrow was.

"Ah… I hadn't realized…"

" _Sweet fuck_ Oz," Qrow grunted. "Lemme… Give me a sec… _Shower_ -" He was struggling to get up, flushed everywhere.

Ozpin doubted it would take long, given that Qrow wasn't forming coherent sentences. But it would take time to get to the shower. So Ozpin decided to help his partner. He put a hand on Qrow's chest to still him and arranged the wording in his head. Then, he carefully leaned forward to Qrow's ear, and said the dirtiest thing he could think of.

" _Fuuuuuuuuck!_ " Qrow hissed as he finally found release.

Leaning back, Ozpin smiled at the happy satisfaction that Qrow was showing.

Sex, mechanically speaking, wasn't something that was interesting, but seeing that look on Qrow's face? Ozpin would be happy to do that.

"Dammit, Oz," Qrow said after a few minutes. "Sweet _fucking_ Christ, I think I still need a shower after all that."

Ozpin shrugged. "It will give me time to stretch."

"Come with me to the shower and I'll stretch you _wide_ open. Probably while stretching _myself_ open. _Sweet fucking Christ_."

That startled a laugh out of him. "Alas, I'm not able to stand yet."

Qrow looked over, still hazy from his release. "What?"

Ozpin looked aside. "I can't stand yet. Sleeping often leaves me stiff in the morning. Especially if I forget my medication. I get too tense during the night trying to avoid any pain that I'm always stiff in the morning. I have a stretching routine to do to be able to move."

"And you fell yesterday."

Ozpin nodded. "I'm sore. Not as stiff as usual, but sore. Go take your shower. I'll probably still be stretching when you're done."

Qrow sat up, and reached over to stroke a hand down his face. "What do you need?"

And Ozpin's heart ached with love all over again. He smiled. "You smelling clean. Then, after breakfast… Can you help Oscar dig us out?"

Qrow leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Not a problem. You're going to have to walk me through your stretches. I'm _definitely_ going to be helping you."

"You don't hav-" the demurral was automatic, but Ozpin stopped himself. He was bursting with love, so why was he denying himself the aid? Instead, he said, "I'll look forward to that. When we don't have to worry about digging out of what's likely over a foot of snow."

"Sure thing."

Qrow was almost in the bathroom when Ozpin called out to him one more time. "And Qrow? You're doing the laundry today."

Qrow stuck out his tongue and Ozpin let another laugh just bubble up.

* * *

Qrow was acting weird, and Tai wanted to know why. He'd been particularly self-satisfied for nearly two months, a smug smirk on his face and not diving into a tailspin every time there was an accident like upending a pizza to the floor or tripping over his own two feet. In point of fact, he seemed to not even notice, just kept on going like his "bad luck" (i.e. his disaster energy) wasn't even a concern. Actually, other than those two times the number of accidents surrounding Qrow had gone down considerably, and that was even _more_ worrying, because Tai had no idea what a Qrow-Without-Disasters was like.

The girls had noticed it, too - Yang and Ruby asking why Qrow was always in such an above-good mood, and they usually noticed everything. Tai's first thought was to ask if there were any changes with the professor, but the girls both agreed that there hadn't been any changes.

It had gotten to the point where Tai texted Clover, asking _Did You Get Laid?_

_Regularly_ , was the response.

_Ugh. Yeah, I Know. But I Mean With Qrow?_

_No. No disaster since the last one. Why?_

Tai mulled it over, because Qrow only looked _this_ self-satisfied if he had _been_ satisfied, and if it wasn't Oz he was at a loss as to who it was. He explained the dilemma to Clover.

Hell, he'd even asked, "Geez, Qrow, you act like you got laid or something."

And Qrow would only give a cocky grin and say, "Or something."

_Hm. Let me come over. Maybe we can ambush him._

Tai and Clover met for supper at a diner downtown, a little out of Tai's way but he'd told Qrow he'd be working late to compensate.

"So let me get this straight," Clover was saying, "You think Qrow is seeing someone, but it's not the professor?"

Tai shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know for sure. He sure _acts_ like he's getting some action, you know how smug he gets when he has it in his head that people are hot on him, but I haven't seen any change with Oz, and the girls haven't either. If it's not him then I don't know."

Clover thought for a moment, munching on fries. "Does it matter who he's seeing?" he asked. "If he's happy why should we care?"

"Because if he's seeing someone that isn't Oz then his Bisexual Disaster status will trigger and I don't want to bring that down on everyone when things are going so well," Tai said, resolutely straight-faced. "Has he called you?"

"No," Clover said, "Not since that thing with Yang a few months ago. How is she, by the way?"

"Much better," Tai said, biting into his hamburger. "Cast came off a little while ago, she has some scars on her arm from where the bone broke the skin, but she has full range of motion and is in physical therapy. Insurance covered everything, give or take. _That_ they'll cover," he muttered bitterly.

Clover straightened. "That's right. The anniversary is coming up, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"You doing okay?"

Tai sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "Mostly, yeah," he said. "March is always hard. Last year we had Raven's bail hearing to distract us from everything, but even then the week of everyone was a mess. Qrow, too, because he was fighting with Oz back then." He hunched forward, suddenly not hungry. "Maybe that's why I'm obsessing," he said. "If I'm wondering about Qrow then I don't have to think about Summer. I'm still paying off the hospital bills. I'm down to like fourteen installments or something."

"So just over a year. That's not bad, all things considered."

"With interest rates I'll have paid her bills three times over by the time I'm done," Tai said, staring at his food. "That's what it feels like at any rate."

"Will you do anything?"

"Take the day off," Tai said. "Sleep on the couch, wallow in my misery for a day before I pick myself up again. That's how it's usually been."

Clover nodded. "How will you honor her?"

Tai shook his head. "The girls," he answered. "They're the best part of everything that happened. That weekend I'll take them up to the grave. Qrow, too, if he can stomach it. He always says he will, but then he doesn't."

"Do we know what he does?"

"No, but he doesn't drink; so I let him have his privacy."

Clover smirked. "Until it comes to his love life."

Tai grunted. " _Who_ is he screwing?"

"Well," Clover said. "Let's ambush him and find out. Is he at your place or the professor's?"

"Mine," Tai said. "Oz works late, so he comes to pick up his son."

Clover signaled the waiter. "Then let's spring a trap," Clover said. "If nothing else I intend to shamelessly flirt with that very hot professor."

"Oh, my god, please take my status as the token straight guy into account when you do that."

They paid for their dinner and Clover followed Tai home. He saw the professor's car on the street, meaning he was still there. He parked in the garage and Clover was already out of his car and at the door, ringing it, leaving Tai to grab his briefcase and scramble out of his car.

"Why the hell are you here?" Tai could hear Qrow growl.

"Just came to check up on a friend. Tai and I were having dinner, and he said there was a high chance that a hot professor was here; so I thought I'd drop by and say hi, and maybe we could debate - what was the phrase? 'Carnal desires.' Please tell me his winter suits are just as tailored as his summer suits."

"Oh, my _god_ I hate you."

Winning Clover smile. "You love me and you know it."

"Ugh, come on in and say hi," Qrow said, "But keep the flirting down or I make Tai throw you out."

"Fat chance of that happening," Tai said, moving to the kitchen table to put his work down. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"Just finishing up now, Oz will be going home soon, anyway. And _yes_ , before you ask, the girls both got their homework done. Winter already came by to pick up Weiss and Blake's parents just left."

"Look at you," Clover said with a smile, "Acting so responsible. Who are you and what have you done with our resident disaster?"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "I'm not _always_ a disaster."

"And you don't _always_ stand perfectly straight, either," Clover countered, tapping his chin. "You usually bother with posture when you're trying to impress someone. Don't tell me you have the hots for me again."

" _Jesus_ I am not having this conversation," Qrow said, consciously slouching and moving into the living room. Tai saw his girls on the couch, Oz on his feet with his coat on, watching as young Oscar packed up his things. The professor smiled at the two additions to the house.

"It would appear that we are two ships, passing in the night," he observed. "I'll be taking my son home presently."

"That's too bad, professor," Clover said lightly, flirty smile on his face. "I still want to get to know you better."

"Oh, I didn't realize. Any friend of Qrow's family is of course a friend of mine. We can arrange to have dinner at some point, if you want. This semester I don't really have the schedule for lunch."

"Oz," Qrow said, rubbing his forehead. "He's asking you out on a _date_."

Blank stare, double blink, and then bright pink. Tai rubbed his forehead too, in sheer sympathy for Oz realizing he'd missed a beat. "... Oh," he said awkwardly. "I see…"

"Better get out while the getting's good, Oz," Qrow said quickly. "Clover's too much for sane people to handle."

"Oh, I don't know," Clover said, and Tai was debating on being darkly amused or sympathetically embarrassed, "I remember you 'handled' me pretty well, all things considered."

"Nope, that's it, we're done here," Qrow said. "Finish packing Oscar before this turns ugly."

"... I'm so confused," the boy said, and Tai covered his mouth to hide the grin.

"For now that's for the best, Oscar," the professor said, still a little pink in the cheeks. "Let's get going; Mr. Clover seems to have something to say to Mr. Qrow."

Tai walked them out and bid them goodnight, Oz turning and opening his mouth to ask something, before thinking better of it and getting into his car. Tai waved them off and went back into the house. "Girls," he said, "Can you two conveniently find something to do in your room?"

Both of them immediately straightened. "Why?"

"Because the men are going to talk gay sex," Clover said brightly without even batting an eye. "I assume that's something you're both just _dying_ to learn about in _miniscule_ detail."

"Ugh, no _thank you_!" Yang and Ruby both disappeared down the hall to their room, shutting the door.

Qrow was looking less than pleased, red eyes darting between the two. "I know a set-up when I see one," he said. "What's this all about?"

"Exactly what I told the girls," Clover said brightly. "We want to know if you're getting laid."

And there it was: Qrow pulled to his full height and _smirked_ , even as he definitively said: "Nope."

"That's a bold faced lie," Tai said, crossing his arms.

"Then are you seeing someone?" Clover said, slightly over Tai.

That pleased grin again. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. I always told you I was hot."

"You are _not_ that hot."

"Hot enough to turn the eye of a demi," Qrow said.

"A what?" was Tai. Then he shook his head. "Then who are you even seeing?" Tai asked. "It's not Oz, the girls would have noticed, but I can't think of anyone else it could be. Is it an old fling? Is your disaster energy acting up?"

Qrow went from smug to indignant almost instantaneously. "Is _that_ what this is about?" he asked. "You're checking up on me 'cause you don't trust me?"

" _No_ ," Tai said, "But it's _March_ , and none of us make good decisions in March. I'm just worried about you."

"You worry too much, Tai. I'm fine."

"I _worry_ because I know what happens this time of year."

"Well this isn't one of those times," Qrow said, defensive.

"Then what's their name?" Clover asked. "We're not trying to pry - much - but we do want to make sure you're doing okay."

Qrow glared at both of them, eyes flicking back and forth, face utterly foul, but eventually he sighed and ran a hand down his face. "... gonna kill me for this," he muttered. "Look, it's Oz, okay? All the teasing from you and the girls, you get to lord it up and say you were right all along, okay?"

Tai sputtered, surprised and unsurprised in equal parts. "What? Why? Why keep it a secret?"

"Oscar," Qrow said. "Look, if the girls find out it's official they'll get a megaphone and shout from the communication tower downtown at full volume. Hell, _I_ want to shout from the tower that we're a thing, but it's taking Oscar some time to get used to the idea, and we want to give him some time before coming out."

"That's… a shockingly mature decision coming from you," Tai said, still processing.

"Not shocking," Clover corrected, smiling, "Just pleasantly surprising." He stepped forward and slapped a hand on Qrow's shoulder. "Good for you," he said. "I'm glad you're happy. Please tell me the sex is a good as I think it is. An academic like him has got to have an entire _library_ of research to experiment with."

Qrow shook his head, somewhere between smirking and wistful. "Hasn't happened yet," he said.

Clover and Tai both blinked. "Now I _am_ shocked," Clover said. "Since when do you wait on _anyone_ you're hot for?"

"Since I'm 'mature,' remember, asshole?" Qrow said, but there wasn't much bark in the reprimand. "Look, his ex did a number on him, and he only recently figured out where he is in the alphabet soup and…" he shrugged. "He's worth getting it right."

Clover put his other hand on Qrow's shoulder. "My work here is done," he said gravely. "You are now a fully mature, functioning adult." The image was ruined as his face split into a wide grin. Then he pulled Qrow in a massive hug. "Good for you," he said, " _good for you_. Enjoy it." He pulled back, smiling, and leaned in. "If you need any advice you know who to call."

"Yeah," Qrow said in a flat voice, " _not_ you."

"He's all yours, Tai," Clover said, still smiling. "Keep me updated. I still reserve flirting rights!"

"Over my dead body!"

"No, over your _spent_ body."

" _Clover!_ "

But Tai was hugging him, too, the giddy pleasure of realizing his brother was happy finally blooming in his chest. "You had me worried," he said. "It's _March_."

"I know, Tai," Qrow said, hugging him back. "I'll make it this year. For the first time, I know I can make it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaand Clover again steals every scene he's in. He's just so confident and can say these things with a straight face he's delightful. He's also a great tool, he can identify the mature decisions Qrow is making and even calling him a functioning adult is a pretty huge step. Tai continues to be Best Supporting Character (TM) for worrying over Qrow and trying to do right by him, and we also realize March is a big deal for the family.
> 
> We also start to see that Oscar has some issues himself that he needs to work out. He's made a first step but it's not easy to trust his dad with basically anyone else. He's putting in an effort but he still has a ways to go. More on that later, but the next several months are kinda hard on him. For now we can see that Oz and Oscar can still fight for control. They don't share a body here, obviously, but Oscar can exert his control by telling his dad to take a day off - or even unplug an alarm to make his point. He's cute like that.
> 
> Next chapter: after two chapters of basically fluff, let's push that drama button and talk about March, Summer, and Xiao Long-Branwen angst.


	20. Chapter 20

Ruby snapped awake on Sunday, sitting straight up in bed and stretching. Yang was still curled under her blankets, so Ruby got dressed as quietly as possible and snuck out of the room. Dad's door was still closed, but she heard the shower running. In the kitchen she dug through her backpack until she found the pancake recipe Professor Ozpin had given her and started pulling out what she needed: flour, salt, sugar, butter, milk, baking powder, egg, etc. She followed the directions religiously as she melted butter on a frying pan. Once the butter was melted she started making the pancakes, alternating between flipping and cutting up strawberries and bananas. Flipping was hard if only because she couldn't figure out when the pancake was _ready_ to flip, and the first three were a little, er, misshapen as a result, but she eventually found a rhythm and made three stacks - layering each with the strawberries and bananas.

Dad came in when she was halfway done, blinking at the surprise breakfast before giving his Mom-Smile and offered to take over. With him in charge of the skillet she poked at the coffeemaker, knowing it was the only thing that would wake Yang up, and went digging through the cupboards for syrup.

"Daaaaad," she whined. "I can't find the syrup."

"Use the honey instead," Dad said with a smile. "She liked honey better anyway."

"Oooh, I didn't know that!" Ruby moved to the cabinet over the fridge, needing to pull a chair up to reach it and pulled out some honey.

Once Yang wandered in Ruby set up the last of the pancakes, using the bananas to make a smile and the strawberries to be eyes.

"Strawberry sunshine!" she said, setting the plate. Yang stared, not completely awake yet, as Dad poured coffee and apple juice. They all sat down, and Dad asked for everyone's hand.

"Summer," he said, "This breakfast is for you."

They dug in, Yang waking up immediately with coffee and smiling at the stack of pancakes, Ruby beamed, bursting that she had made the pancakes all by herself. "Do we have everything we need?" she asked. "Did you find watermelons?"

"It's _March_ , Ruby," Dad said, but he was smiling. "But I finally found some. It's in the fridge right now. And _yes_ , before you ask, I got lemonade last week."

"And the white cape?"

"Got that, too."

"You know it's not a cape, right?" Yang asked.

"Don't care," Ruby said brightly, "Because we're seeing our _mom_ today!"

It was their special day of the year, when they drove to the coast and the beaches that Mom loved, visited her grave and had lunch with her. There hadn't been snow since February, most of it was melted and the coast was always warmer than inland, meaning there wouldn't be any snow and there was space to set up the blanket. Uncle Qrow said he was coming, but he always said that and always didn't, so Ruby was happy to spend the day catching Mom up on everything that had happened in the last year.

"Whose turn was it to write everything down?" she asked. "I did it last year, but I kept a list in case you forgot."

" _No_ , I _didn't_ ," Yang said, bright smile on her face as she pulled out a spiral notebook. "See? Lake house, Memorial Day cookout, meeting Winter's sister, it's all here."

"Good," Dad said, after finishing a pancake. "Let's make sure we give her an earful. I got flowers, Ruby, could you pack the basket?"

"On it!" Ruby said brightly, running down the hall to Dad's room - and true to form, a bouquet of roses were there, wrapped in plastic and in a simple glass vase. Under the bed was the wicker basket, and Ruby grabbed it and the flowers and ran back to the kitchen, putting both on the counter. Dad was loading the dishwasher and Yang was making last minute additions to the list. Into the basket went the watermelons, sandwiches, aluminum water bottles (red, gold, and orange, holiday presents from Blake), a packet of dried fruits, and a can of soda in case Uncle Qrow showed up.

They piled into the car, Ruby and Yang in back, and they pulled out of the house and made their way to the highway. Dad played a book on tape, but Yang put on her yellow headphones Weiss had gotten (Ruby's red ones were at home) to listen to music and Ruby played games on her phone.

It was an hour drive to Massachusetts. Mom was born in Boston but grew up in one of the outside cities, Dorchester, and that was where she had wanted to be buried, home on a hill looking over the ocean. Dad hadn't found a cemetery that was looking over the ocean, but Ruby and Yang had gotten an audio loop of the ocean and played it when they visited. Most of the drive, Dad explained, was carefully circumventing Boston since all the drivers there were _out of their minds_ , and even driving during off hours they were parked on the highway several times to get to Mom.

They piled out of the car once they were parked, Ruby and Yang happy to stretch their legs - Yang even climbed onto the roof of the car to shout for joy, but Dad pulled her down fast.

"This is a _cemetery_ ," he said, "Show some respect!"

The graves were all in neat rows, most headstones were plaques set in the ground, but several rows up; some were simple and some were ornate - from old famous people, Dad said, since they were so close to Boston and all its history. Even after visiting for several years in a row, Ruby was never quite sure how to navigate, but she guarded the picnic basket and followed her dad, who seemed to know what to look for.

"Hey, Summer!" Tai said, raising a hand, and they stopped at one of the plaques in the ground.

_Summer Rose_

_Thus Kindly I Scatter_

"Hi, Mom!" Ruby said brightly. "Here, I didn't forget your cape."

"... It's not a _cape_ ," Yang muttered, but Ruby didn't care. Her best memory of her mom was being wrapped up in the white blanket, looking like a cape, and holding her and singing to her.

Dad and Yang spread out the picnic blanket and Ruby placed the cape right next to Mom on the brown grass. They opened the picnic basket and started setting plates.

"Yang, Yang! Tell her!"

"I was just getting there," Yang said, crawling over so she was closer to the grave. "Hey, Mom! There's a lot to say about the last year. I think the first thing to start with is that my mom is still in jail. I don't remember if you knew that or not. Uncle Qrow had a big fight with Professor Ozpin, but he really helped me put things in perspective, and Uncle Qrow was being silly. We keep telling them they're dating but they haven't figured it out yet. Let's see, not a lot happened over April break, but we did have our Memorial Day cookout! Blake couldn't come but Weiss brought her sister Winter…"

"Hang on, we don't have the ocean going," Dad said, pulling out the bluetooth speaker.

They took turns telling stories about the last year, alternating for water breaks or to snack on the watermelon. Dad's stories were always the most concise, which always made them feel short and unimportant, and Ruby or Yang would embellish as appropriate. Yang was the most energized telling her stories, swinging her arms around and getting up on her knees sometimes to act something out. Ruby made a point to giving as much detail as possible - and sometimes that got her off on tangents but then Yang or Dad would put her back on track. Everyone had something to say as a story - sometimes to clarify something or sometimes to say, " _No_ , it wasn't like _that_ ," (Usually that was Dad, and Ruby and Yang secretly liked getting that reaction out of him), sometimes to tell a joke or share a thought that popped into their head.

The weather was cold but not freezing, their animated story telling kept everything but their noses and cheeks warm. They went through their water bottles over the course of the late morning, and soon Ruby's stomach growled and she asked Dad if it was time for lunch.

"That it is!" he said brightly. The watermelon was just about gone, and out came the sandwiches. Ruby made a place for Uncle Qrow just in case, and they dug in.

Yang spotted him first, choking on her sandwich before jumping to her feet. " _Uncle Qrow!_ "

Ruby and Dad looked over in utter shock, and up the hill came the man of the hour, hands in his pockets and red scarf trailing after him in the breeze.

Ruby shrieked in pleasure, getting up and dashing to her uncle. "You made it! _You made it!_ "

"You make it sound like a miracle or something," Uncle Qrow said.

"It _is!_ " Ruby answered, moving behind him and jumping up to his back. Uncle Qrow stumbled with her weight - she was a high schooler now - but she didn't care, as she pointed vigorously. "We're over there, see Dad and Yang?"

"You're both a little hard to miss, half-pint," he said, but he kept walking with Ruby, setting her down back on the blanket.

"Come on, Uncle Qrow!" Yang said. "You can tell your stories about dating Professor Ozpin! Mom's barely heard anything!"

"I'm sure Summer's heard _plenty_ ," Dad said, handing the can of soda over. "Your dating is like half of what they were talking about."

"That interested in my love life, are we?" Uncle Qrow said, devious smile on his face. "Maybe I should remind Summer here about the time she was all over me?"

Dad choked. "Qrow, this is a _cemetery_. PG stories only!"

"What?" Uncle Qrow said, sitting down and taking the can. "It's completely PG. See, your mom was always interested in my butt."

"Oh, my god, don't say it," Dad said, hiding his face.

"She was. She even told you, didn't she, that she thought my butt was tight and firm and worth looking at?" He turned to Ruby and Yang. "See, she wasn't dating your dad back then, so this is totally fine. Now, this was back in my disaster days - and I mean worse than the mess I am now - and there was one night when I came back from a party not feeling very well."

"Qrow, you were _drunk_ , even _Summer_ will tell you to not-"

"Quiet, Tai, this is _my_ story, remember? Anyway, I came back from a party _drunk_ , didn't know which way was up, and just fell on my bed to get a nap in. Raven was off to class, didn't care that I was skipping, but Summer did, and she came to check up on me. When I woke up-"

" _Stop right there_ ," Dad said firmly. "Summer might laugh at the story but the girls _won't_."

"She was just checking me out, Tai."

" _Qrow._ "

"Okay fine," Uncle Qrow said, sipping his soda. "No lascivious details from here. We'll just say that Summer went to extremes to decide how much she liked my butt. And when I woke up I might have encouraged it."

"You were _suuuuch_ a bisexual disaster… I have no idea how you're still alive sometimes..." Dad muttered, but Ruby was too busy laughing, her mind happy to supply details on what Mom and Uncle Qrow did to embarrass Dad when they were in college.

It was fun; having Uncle Qrow there. They always had fun visiting Mom, but sometimes the drive back was quiet in a sad way. Ruby didn't really remember much - she was seven when they lost Mom, even Yang had trouble remembering sometimes, but Dad… they remembered Dad before he got better, how shut down he was, and sometimes he had that look in his eyes on the drive home. Ruby and Yang silently understood that they had to be extra happy for this day, so he didn't shut down again, and they made the point of telling the stories as outrageously as they could as a result.

Uncle Qrow seemed to understand this, because every story he told made Dad turn red in the face and cutting him off before he got too deep. Ruby grabbed Yang's memories notebook and wrote some of the stories down to ask about later, when Dad was in a better mood.

"You do this every year?" Uncle Qrow asked. "Have all of Summer's favorite foods and catch her up on the last year?"

"And make sure she hears the ocean," Yang said, holding up the speaker. "Next year it's Dad's turn to take notes for the year."

"Oh, do you want to do it?" Ruby asked.

Both men froze, Uncle Qrow looking at Dad and Dad looking at Qrow. They seemed to have a conversation with their eyes, and Dad smiled. "Maybe not this year," he said gently. "We can ask next year. Right now he and Summer had a lot to catch up on. Come on, it's time for personal conversations anyway, and we should let Qrow go first. I'm sure he has the most to say."

"Okay! Uncle Qrow, help us pack up."

"How?"

Ruby showed her uncle how to pack the basket, leaving space for the speaker and the cape and the picnic blanket. They moved down the hill and put things away in the car. Ruby looked up to see Uncle Qrow standing over the grave, a tall silhouette against the blue sky, and she smiled.

"Game room's still open," Dad said, checking his phone. "Come on, let's have some fun while Summer and Qrow catch up."

* * *

"... Hey Summer," Qrow said, standing on a picnic blanket with the sound of ocean waves from some garbage speaker and her old cancer blanket folded up next to the marker. "It's, uh… it's been a while."

Without the noise of the girls, he ran out of words almost immediately, the surreality of having a picnic at a _cemetery_ lost and leaving him… _lost_.

"I should have come by sooner," he said, crouching down. "I don't have an excuse, not really. It's just… I wasn't strong enough for a long time. We both fell apart after you left, and it took a while to pull ourselves back together. Tai got it together first, but he had the girls to look out for, so he didn't really have a choice. Me… I was more disaster than bi; you'da been real disappointed in me, I was…"

He ran out of words again, and his chest started to feel heavy. He dropped from a crouch to a full sit, eyes drifting to the dozen roses in the vase.

"Probably should have got you something," he said softly. "Didn't even think of it. Took everything in me just to come here, and that's even with this year being the best in a long while. I…

"... I should have been there." His world blurred suddenly, and he closed his eyes, dropping his head. He'd only said that once before - to Tai, after rehab - and saying it to Summer… _god_ he wanted a drink. "I should have been there," he repeated. "But I wasn't. All I heard was 'terminal' and I just… I couldn't face it. _Fuck_ , you were facing it every damn day and I couldn't even handle one hour before I was running to the nearest bar. The last thing you needed was asking Tai to go out and find me, but I was too… _I should have been there._

"I should have been there at the treatment, I should have been there at the hospital, I should have been there _at home_ when you finally… Jesus… I wasn't even there for the service, did you know that? Too piss drunk to show up at your goddamn _memorial_. Tai yelled at me for hours, and I just got drunk all over again because I was such a fuck up. For two _fucking years_ that was all I did. It wasn't until Ruby and Yang staged an intervention that…"

His voice broke, and he had to work for several minutes to get himself back under control. A hundred blurry, _drunk_ memories: the empty feeling of sickness, waking up in strange places, Tai or Clover dragging him home from… somewhere. He never asked how Tai found Clover, why Clover decided to sponsor him. He'd _hated_ going to AA meetings, hated listening to the stories of others, hated having to say his name and attach the word "alcoholic" to it. He did it more readily after rehab, but even then..

"I'm glad you weren't there to see it," he admitted. "But I'm mad that you left, and I hate myself for feeling that. Oz had to tell me it was normal to feel like this, but…"

He looked up, let his eyes trace over the words. The white cancer blanket, it looked like snow against the dead grass, and he couldn't understand why it was there. He reached out, not quite brave enough to touch the headstone.

"I'm doing better, now," he said. "How much better is up for debate, but I'm just about six years sober now, and for once I'm in a good relationship. It's been hard - sometimes so _fucking_ hard I need to call Clover or Oz - but you'd be so proud to see your girls, Summer. Ruby looks more like you every day, and she acts like you, too. She's got this air about her, in a few years she'll be a sight to behold. Yang, too, she's so _fierce_ , and she thinks it's from Raven but really it's from you. I hope…"

His world blurred again, but he managed to touch the gravestone. It was curiously warm to his fingertips. "I hope you're smiling," he said.

"You should tell her more about Professor Ozpin."

Qrow looked up, surprised to see Summ-to see Ruby standing over him. She smiled, knelt down next to him.

"Hey, Mom," she said, and her energy from earlier was gone; she was subdued, quiet. "I wanted you to know, parts of the year were a little scary, but parts of the year were really fun. We're all moving forward, just like you wanted us too - and that includes Uncle Qrow. He's dating a college professor - but he keeps denying it. They're really cute together, and Professor Ozpin, he has a son named Oscar, and he's really bookish like me, and I think he'd make a great cousin. Yang has a crush, I think. She's a little harder to read because I don't think she's figured it out yet, but… we'll find out next year, maybe."

She nodded her head, and she stood up. "Come on," she said to Qrow. "Let's let Yang know it's her turn."

Qrow stood, helped by more than just Ruby, and they moved to exit the cemetery.

* * *

They had arrived at the middle school before the bell had rung, and Blake watched Yang fist pump with Ruby about getting there so quickly this time. The buses were still arriving to line up, which meant there was a good chance they'd be able to get out of the parking lot _before_ the buses. Blake was _expecting_ for the siblings to go running off to tackle Mr. Qrow, but instead, Ruby held her arm out, blocking Yang.

"Huh?"

Blake shared a look with Weiss, not having expected it.

"Ruby, what's up?"

" _Shhhhh_!" Then Ruby was looking around, grabbing all of them, and hiding behind a corner of the building, tilting her head out.

"Uhm, Ruby this is strange, even for you…" Weiss said.

"Quiet! They'll see us!"

"Who?" Blake asked. "Your uncle?"

" _Exactly!_ Look at him and Professor Ozpin!"

They all looked at each other, before carefully leaning out to look beyond the wall.

Sure enough, Professor Ozpin was in his usual handicapped spot, leaning against the passenger side to talk with Mr. Qrow. But Mr. Qrow wasn't perched on the hood of his junker like he usually was. Instead, he was next to the professor, leaning against… the car… No... Blake squinted. Mr. Qrow was leaning against Professor Ozpin, his head was resting on the professor's shoulder.

"Ruby," Weiss said with infinite patience, "it's cold today. Your uncle and Professor Ozpin are probably warmer like that. Besides, didn't you say your uncle's heat is broken in his car?"

"No," Yang whispered. "Ruby's right. Just watch."

Blake glanced at Yang and was surprised to see a wide smile and delight flickering in her lavender eyes.

Glancing back, she was shocked to watch Mr. Qrow tilt his head up and kiss Professor Ozpin.

" _Yes_!" the siblings hissed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You've been saying they've been dating for a while, I don't see what the big deal is."

"You _don't_?" Ruby demanded.

Yang turned with a flat star. " _Really_?"

Blake and Weiss looked to each other. "What?"

Ruby let out a looong beleaguered sigh. "We knew that Uncle Qrow has been interested in Professor Ozpin _forever_ , but they hadn't done anything."

"Wait," Weiss said, "you've been shouting to everyone listening that they've been dating and they _haven't_ been?"

"They _have_ ," Yang retorted. "Why else do you think Uncle Qrow is always parked next to Professor Ozpin? Why else did they hang out at the lake house? They just didn't know it yet."

"Seems more like you two were making assumptions," Blake offered, watching Professor Ozpin reach up to Mr. Qrow's face.

"Because they were perfect for each other, _duh_!" Ruby hissed. "But lately Uncle Qrow has been super energized. Yang and I have been _wondering_ if he finally made it official with Professor Ozpin, but he just wasn't saying at all!"

"He's still not," Yang said, still peering around the corner. "Look, Uncle Qrow's back on his car like nothing happened."

"No," Ruby said, "he's _preening_ , but he's not letting anyone see it."

"Does it matter?" Blake asked. "It's their business."

"Yeah," Yang said, "but Uncle Qrow is a Bisexual Disaster. We both want this to be _good_ for him."

Ruby nodded emphatically. "He's had too many disasters. We want this one to _last_."

Weiss was offering a flat look. "So you've been their cheerleaders all this time, without knowing if it would actually happen?"

" _Duh_!" Ruby said. "How else were we going to get it through Uncle Qrow's thick skull?"

Weiss rolled her eyes spectacularly and dragged them all out from the corner.

" _No_! Weiss!" Ruby cried out, trying to crawl back to the corner. "We could have started seeing the good stuff! Something more definitive than that! You know how couples are in tv and video games! Where's all that hot action!"

Blake flinched, but Yang was by her side, holding her hand. "That's it, Ruby," Yang said. "No more shoujo comics for you."

" _What_? Whyyyyy! Can't a girl read her comics in peace without being judged?"

"I do _not_ want to hear you talking about boy love in the context of our _uncle_." Yang continued forward, holding Blake's hand while dragging Ruby along. "Uncle Qrow, _you_ tell her she can't have her shoujo manga anymore."

Mr. Qrow gave a flat stare. "You wanna explain that more?"

Weiss walked up, all prim and proper. "Ruby seems to think you and Professor Ozpin are the stars of a shoujo manga and has been begging for hot action."

Professor Ozpin frowned, but Mr. Qrow slouched down to Ruby's level, looking disappointed. "Pipsqueak, I'm going to side with Yang. No more shoujo manga, and I'll be talking to your dad about it too. I'm not your fujoshi bait and I don't appreciate that you thought that I could be used like that."

"But Uncle _Qrow_!"

" _Stop_ , Ruby," Mr. Qrow said. "My sexuality isn't for _your_ pleasure. The same way lesbians aren't lesbians to get guys bothered. Fiction is one thing, but I'm _not_ fictional. We'll talk about this more later."

Blake blinked. Mr. Qrow was generally easy going unless he was protecting them. She'd never seen him be anything other than annoyed with his nieces. She stepped back and leaned against the car next to Professor Ozpin as Mr. Qrow turned to Yang and started asking some pointed questions as well.

Not something Blake wanted to see. So she turned to the professor. "We saw you and Mr. Qrow kissing," she said quietly.

"Ah, that clarifies a few things," the professor said, shifting his weight on the cane. He looked to her. "Do you have questions?"

Blake looked down. She herself was confused. On a lot of things. She looked to Yang, who was looking surprised at Mr. Qrow's questions and struggling to answer them. "You have a son," she blurted out.

"I do indeed," Professor Ozpin said brightly. "I'm very proud of him."

"You were married."

"For too many years."

Blake looked away, not sure what she was going for. "If you settled down and married a woman… had a son… but now you're with Mr. Qrow…"

He gave a low hum. "Yes, I can see where society is still struggling with that. Most of our media presents heterosexuality, and more recently we've seen an increase in gay and lesbian portrayals, minuscule as it may be. But there is still that structural belief that one is interested in only one gender. Reality is far more complicated."

"But…" Blake didn't know what she wanted to say. She'd always looked to boys and then there was Adam…

"Let me assure you, Miss Belladonna, even adults can still be learning where they are," the professor offered a gentle smile. "Qrow was lucky. He realized the various spots he was on the three spectrums very young and his sister supported him. I married very young. I locked myself into both what society said was correct and I locked myself to the first person I fell in love with. I wasn't able to learn about myself until I was away."

Blake nodded politely, but she was still looking to Yang. She was so confused.

A hand rested on her shoulder. "Patience, Miss Belladonna. You don't need to have things figured all out now, or this year, or when you graduate. One day at a time, one step at a time."

Blake nodded, thoughts of Adam and the boys she would crush on when she was younger and Yang's strength. Thoughts of what she'd seen compared to how reality was between Mr. Qrow and Professor Ozpin. And how it all swirled around her.

"Take all the time you need."

* * *

Oscar sat in class, three floors up, staring out the window. It was last period, and he and half the class were watching the buses drive in. Mr. Qrow was already there and waiting, stretched out on the hood of his car - and really, was the engine that warm for that long? - and right as he had the thought he watched his dad drive in. Nodding to himself, he leaned back and touched Jaune's elbow. "Hey," he said, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Jaune shifted in his seat, but behind him Pyrrha touched his back. "Yeah," he said. "It's only right."

Oscar nodded. After winter break with the switching of specials, Jaune was with him for art and music, and with him was not Cardin Winchester, but Pyrrha and Ren and Nora. Apparently since the start of the school year he'd been put on the other team, and without Cardin Winchester he had become a lot nicer. Oscar was still suspicious, but Pyrrha especially was nice and kind and respectable. Most of her classes were with one of the three, and he hadn't realized Jaune was even on his team until the third quarter started. For the last three months - now with the quarter nearly over - Jaune had tried every day to say something nice to Oscar.

It was Pyrrha who had clued him in that he was trying to apologize for last year.

"A lot happened to him," she said. "He was cheating to try and catch up."

"What?"

"I know, I know! That's bad, but it's because he felt a lot of pressure. He knew it wasn't right, but Cardin found out and made it worse."

"That doesn't make what he did _right_ ," Oscar said, confused on why he was being asked to forgive Jaune.

"No, it doesn't," Pyrrha said. "But that also doesn't mean you should hold it against him for the rest of his life. Just… let him give you a better impression of him. You can decide what to do later."

And now, the last week of the quarter, Oscar could allow himself to think that maybe Jaune wasn't a total jerk. The blond had asked if he could meet Dad and apologize to him proper. Oscar didn't want to at first, his dad was _happy_ , and while Oscar himself wasn't quite… _there_ … yet, he was getting more used to Mr. Qrow.

He looked out the window as his father got out of the car and moved around to be near Mr. Qrow. Mr. Qrow slid off the hood of his car and moved to stand next to Dad. Oscar shifted in his seat, still not completely comfortable that his dad was seeing someone.

"Woah, see that? Two guys are kissing!"

 _Oh, my god_ , Oscar quickly covered his face, not wanting anyone to recognize it was his dad.

"Everyone, focus," the teacher said.

"But Miss!"

"Doesn't matter. If you have a problem with whatever you think is so fascinating outside you can take it up with guidance. Some of us can't _afford_ to be distracted with grades due, remember?"

Oscar thought they were being _subtle_ , giving him time to get _used_ to it. Geez, apparently _not_. He looked outside, risking peeking out from behind his hands, but Mr. Qrow was getting back up on the hood of his car. He hid his face again, somehow certain everyone knew that was his _dad_ down there and praying he was just being paranoid. The bell finally rang and Oscar couldn't get up fast enough, messily throwing everything into his bag and powering to his locker to get his coat and hat.

"Oscar, hold up!"

Right… Jaune…

Oscar slowed his steps and turned, seeing Jaune in his black hoodie with a bunny face on it. "Sorry," he said, "I'm in a bit of a bad mood."

"Oh… uh… this can wait. I don't mind…"

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. It's not you. Let's go." He pulled his backpack on and made for the stairwell.

"Hang on, your backpack's unzipped!"

Oscar was in a _mood_ , but he stopped and shifted his backpack, zipping it up and throwing it back on his shoulders. He and Jaune exited from the school and made their way down the sidewalk. Ruby and the other high schoolers were there, Mr. Qrow talking to Yang and Blake standing next to his dad. "Hey, dad," he said.

"Hello," he said, soft and warm like he wasn't flaunting his relationship _in front of a middle school_. He moved in for a hug but Oscar ducked out of it, instead gesturing to Jaune.

"Dad, this is Jaune Arc. We share specials together."

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you," Dad said, holding a hand out.

"Um… I mean… It's really…" Jaune floundered, stammering and twiddling his hands, eyes looking just about everywhere, and Oscar just _wasn't_ in the mood. He glared at his classmate, and Jaune finally managed to gulp down his nerves.

"Professor," he said, holding out his hand.

Dad was about to take it when Mr. Qrow but in. "Hey," he said, "I know you. You're Skateboard Kid."

"Wh-what?"

Dad looked to Mr. Qrow and Jaune immediately stood ramrod straight, face losing color.

"Oz, this was the brat that broke your leg last year."

"Oh?" Dad asked, turning to study Jaune more closely. Oscar sighed silently, this was turning into a _thing_. And Dad… Dad just took it in stride like he took everything else. "Well," he said, "It appears we've met before. It's a pleasure to meet again."

"No-I mean, yes-I mean… I don't know if that counts as meeting exactly but…"

" _Meeting_ is a pretty light term, kid," Mr. Qrow said, leaning forward aggressively. Oscar put a hand to his face, knowing his dad's… his dad's _boyfriend_ was going to make this worse. "As I recall you took a skateboard and kicked back right into a man's leg. Doesn't really sound like a formal introduction, does it."

"Wait, _this_ is the kid who broke Professor Ozpin's leg?" Weiss asked, peaking out from the car. Blake paused in getting in and Yang whipped around.

"Wow, Jaune! I hardly recognized you - you look so different!"

"Uh, n-not really. I mean… I just…"

Oscar scoffed and stepped in front of Mr. Qrow. "Could you stop being a jerk for a few seconds?" he demanded.

"A jerk?" Mr. Qrow said, indignant. "See here pipsqueak."

"You don't get to give me a nickname, _old man_ ," Oscar said. "You don't have a say in anything that has to do with me, and right now that includes Jaune." He turned to his classmate. "You had something you wanted to say, Jaune," he prompted, just wanting this _over_ with. His mood was getting worse, and he just wanted to get Jaune on the bus and go _home_. He didn't even want to go home with his _dad_ , his mood was so bad, and that was saying something.

Jaune was twiddling again, but he took a deep breath. "I wanted to say sorry, sir," he said, shifting his weight back and forth. "I hurt you last year, and I… It was stupid and calling it an accident doesn't really help and I wanted… I just wanted to say sorry. Sir."

Dad smiled, soft and gentle, and leaned forward on his cane, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulders.

"Thank you," he said. "It must have taken a lot of courage to admit such a mistake. You have my gratitude; and you are forgiven."

"Good," Oscar said, trying to cut all of this short, "Thanks, Dad. Come on, Jaune, I'll see you to your bus before you miss it."

"What? Really? Don't you have to go home with-?"

"I kind of can't stand them right now," Oscar said in a low voice. "I need some time to cool off."

"Oh. Okay…"

Oscar lead Jaune down the sidewalk in the opposite direction, along the long line of buses and away from his dad and Mr. Qrow. Happy, Oscar reminded himself, you're supposed to be happy for them… but then they kissed in front of the _entire school_ and Mr. Qrow made an already awkward conversation with Jaune worse and he just _didn't want to deal with it._ He growled low in his throat and helped Jaune onto his bus, waving him goodbye and taking a deep breath. The drive home was going to be terrible - Dad apologizing for no reason and being understanding and empathetic when _he_ wasn't the one Oscar was mad at. He grit his teeth for the upcoming ordeal, and-

"Hey Pine!"

Nope. Nope. Did _not_ need _Cardin Winchester_ to cap off this day.

Still, he looked up and saw the bully leaning out of one of the bus doors, dark smile on his face and oh, what did that mean….

"You wanna kiss, fruity? You a fag like your dad? A twink, a tonk? Always knew your dad was a _pansy_ but now I know he's a _fairy_ , haha!"

… and that was the last straw.

Now thoroughly angry, Oscar turned and surged onto the bus with a shout, startling Winchester and making him stumble back onto the steps of the bus. Oscar grabbed at whatever he could purchase - the lip of the boy's coat and moved to get a punch in. It didn't connect like he wanted, and Winchester managed a punch just under Oscar's ribs; everyone was shouting and cheering and the busdriver was trying to grab at both of them. Oscar wasn't going to let go, however, tried to angle himself better but Winchester managed to get a foot up and shoved into Oscar's middle, actually lifting him off the ground. He stumbled backwards, missing the lip of the bus door and staggering out and to the ground, banging his elbow to the concrete and feeling something in his backpack poke into his back. He got up, and he was _really_ mad now, and he saw Winchester scrambling up the steps of the bus to hide in the vehicle, and Oscar was going to _make him learn not to-_

Arms wrapped around him and yanked him back, Oscar tried to slide out of his backpack but instead he was lifted off the ground. "Let me go!" he shouted, grabbing at the hands around his waist, adrenaline burning through him.

"Oscar, _stop!_ " Jaune said, tall enough that he could keep Oscar off the ground.

"Yeah, that's right Pine! Let your _boyfriend_ hold you back!"

" _Shut up,_ Cardin! Or come off the bus and say that to Oscar's face!"

"Break it up, break it up! That's enough!"

Adults seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing at Oscar and Jaune. He thought he saw Nora, too, shouting and pointing to the bus.

Worst of all, he saw Dad trying to get to him, hobbling through the mass of people.

That just made his mood even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Oscar, you try so hard, but you haven't admitted the real problem yet. More on that next chapter.
> 
> The highlight of the chapter is the cemetery for obvious reasons. It's a small but painfully human moment for everyone involved -the girls for reconnecting to someone they barely remember and deliberately distracting their dad. Tai for coming up with the ceremony and all the small things that entailed. Qrow for finally being brave enough to face someone he never wanted to disappoint and admit that's exactly what he did.
> 
> And Ruby gets to be the best thing of the chapter as a result. We struggled the entire fic to have something for her to do, but moments like this show what she's really capable of. Maybe Volume 8, now that it's coming out, will lean into it.
> 
> Also, Ruby and Yang continue to be shippers on deck, and Qrow explains why there's a right way and a wrong way to ship IRL. Also: META.
> 
> Also, also, a blink and miss it moment with Blake setting up, well, stuff for later.
> 
> Next chapter: Fall out for Oscar's little fight. Oz finally getting a breakthrough, and an earlier cameo turns into a full-on guest appearance. Oh, the DRAMA.


	21. Chapter 21

Ozpin reflected that while Oscar's guidance counselor was to be commended for having many books lining a shelf that had shelves bowing from the weight, having such a stuffed bookshelf in an office that was already tiny was perhaps ill-advised. As it was, there wasn't enough room for Ozpin, an unusual height of six foot six, to let his bad leg be out straight without hitting a bookcase, a desk, or something else. Instead, he needed to let it bend, pushing bits of bone in his knee into his actual kneecap.

Oscar sat beside him, slouched, sullen, scowling, and sulking, arms crossed and ignoring the icepack that the nurse wanted him to keep by his side. Ozpin was at a loss. He knew that Oscar wasn't adjusting well to him being with Qrow, but he couldn't understand _why_. Oscar had made a point of saying that he wanted him happy, had seen them being together as friends for well over a year now. Nothing had really changed, so why was Oscar now so recalcitrant?

Everything had been a flurry of activity. Oscar had been pulled from young Cardin Winchester, students pulled from the bus to explain what they saw, cell phones pulled to show video, as well as the school's security cameras. Ozpin had told Qrow to go home. He still had his nieces and their friends to look after, and this was going to take a while.

Knocking, the guidance counselor, a plump woman, came in and Ozpin stood both to shake her hand in greeting and to alleviate his leg somewhat. They shared polite greetings as she walked by him to take her seat at her desk, shoved against the wall with the window and she spun her chair around, giving Ozpin even less room for his leg.

He held back a sigh as he sat down and bent his leg even further than he had before, ignoring the pain. Administration had already been by to talk to Oscar, and Ozpin had been saddened that his son refused to talk about _why_ he had attacked the Winchester boy. Ozpin could take a decent guess and and brought it up, asking what was being done to stop the Winchester boy from bullying fellow students, mentioning the long history between the Winchester boy and Oscar, over a year now.

A lot was discussed. The sad fact was that Oscar threw the first punch, and would be getting ten days out of school suspension. The Winchester boy would be getting ten days of in school suspension. Ozpin hadn't found that fair and disagreed strongly, but by throwing the first punch, school guidelines were clear. After that, Ozpin had wanted to see Oscar's guidance counselor to see how to progress from there.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me," Ozpin said, adjusting to try and find a straighter position for his leg. "This is the third fight Oscar has been in within two years. I do not wish for this to continue and would like to know what steps we should be looking at to address the situation."

The counselor smiled and nodded. "We also have this concern. Oscar is never a problem in class, works hard, by all accounts is a good friend and growing to be a fine young man. We agree that this is most unlike him."

Ozpin nodded, glancing over at his son. Still sulking. Ozpin gave himself a small moment to sigh. "I am going to be forthright with you," he said softly. "I have started to see someone. For years it has just been Oscar and myself, and I believe at least some of his struggle is adjusting to my now having another person in my life."

The counselor nodded, pulling out a pad of paper to take notes. Ozpin glanced at Oscar, hoping he might say something, contribute to a conversation that was ultimately about him. But Oscar remained silent.

So Ozpin turned back to the counselor. "Oscar was initially happy to hear I had met someone, but in the course of introducing him to my life, having help so that Oscar doesn't have to do so much and can live more as a child, Oscar has been displaying resentments."

"It's _fine_ , Dad."

Ozpin turned and looked to Oscar, who had finally spoken. "When Qrow was just my friend, you had no issues. Now that we are together, it has been difficult for you to adjust. Both Qrow and I have talked to you, asked what you needed, but still you struggle. I'm outside my field of expertise. Guidance is _here_ for such things."

"I'm _fine_."

"Your actions distinctly say otherwise," Ozpin said softly. "I just want to help."

Oscar rolled his eyes and Ozpin just let out another soft sigh, turning to the counselor. "You can see what I mean."

"I'd recommend he join one of our groups. He can talk about his feelings free of parents and vent. It'll be a safe space for him, away from Cardin. Cardin will be facing different interventions."

"That is very much appreciated," Ozpin said. He turned to Oscar again, wishing for his son to say something, but Oscar was scowling even more strongly than before. Ozpin turned back to the counselor and hesitated. If Oscar was going to have free reign to vent, it was likely that he might bring up his mother, and Ozpin didn't want the school to be ambushed by that. But something that both Ozpin and Oscar rarely discussed with anyone outside of each other was Salem. So few people understood what an abusive relationship was like, so few understood the nuances of living in fear or the weight of never talking about it. If he truly wanted Oscar to be able to discuss his feelings freely with a counselor, Ozpin would have to provide some background.

He took a deep breath. "If Oscar is going to have the safety of freely discussing things, there are aspects of our history that we've never discussed when we enrolled here."

Oscar sat up. " _Dad_!"

Ozpin looked to his son. "If you are to have a truly safe space to talk about things, it will come up."

" _No_ , Dad! I don't want to _ever_ talk about it."

"Then perhaps you _should_ be talking about it with someone." Ozpin offered a broken smile. "I am perhaps the worst person to discuss it with. Hiding it does nothing, and it is only because Qrow knows and understands that I was able to start my relationship with him. We can't hide our scars forever, we must simply be cautious who we share them with. A counselor will be someone safe. We've hidden this long enough."

" _Dad_!"

"Are you willing to start talking about why you've been so sullen lately? Beyond teenage angst?"

Oscar's mouth closed.

Ozpin nodded and he turned back to the counselor. "My ex-wife, Oscar's mother, was very abusive," he said, reaching up and pulling down his turtleneck. He gave the counselor credit. She only widened her eyes for a fraction of a second in surprise.

"That," she said firmly, "is horrible. I saw on Oscar's files that his mother is to never pick him up or sign him out from school?"

"And if she does show up, the police should be called," Ozpin said. "We have a restraining order."

"Dad, stop it! This isn't about _Mom_!"

Ozpin turned, adjusting his leg as he could, because it was getting more painful the longer he was in this cramped little office. "Oscar-"

" _No_ , this isn't about mom! This is about you _kissing_ Mr. Qrow in front of the entire school!"

Ozpin blinked, having not expected that. "What…"

"We all saw it! You kissing Mr. Qrow in the parking lot in front of _everyone_! You're supposed to be giving me time to adjust and you just- _scream_ it in front of everyone? How is that giving me time to adjust? I walk into a room and Mr. Qrow is massaging you; you get home and Mr. Qrow gets dinner while kissing you; I wake up and Mr. Qrow is helping you stretch! Can't you two just… just… _not_? _Not_ do so much stuff together?"

"Oscar," Ozpin said with more calm that he was feeling, "Qrow and I-"

"Just don't do all that stuff! Especially in front of the _entire_ school!"

Ozpin stood up to his full height and slammed his cane against the ground. That cut through Oscar's yelling as he looked up to him. "Oscar, I will _not_ hide myself. We have both needed to hide, both from and because of your mother. I will _not_ hide who I am because after all these years, I am finally _proud_ of who I am. Now that you've been silent about things all afternoon to stew and have exploded, you are _now_ going to be silent and think about what you just said and what it means in context. We will discuss things tonight after you've had time to cool off and think. Since you haven't participated in a conversation with your counselor to find methods of _helping_ you, I will continue to have this conversation with your counselor without any input from you since you don't seem to have any. You are also grounded during your suspension."

" _What_?"

"Am I clear?"

"But, Dad-"

" _Am_ I clear?"

Oscar clenched his jaw shut.

Ozpin turned back to the counselor and painfully sat down. "Now," he said, "what sort of programs were you thinking of?"

He wasn't looking forward to the icy ride home.

* * *

"And it was as frigid as I expected," he said, sitting alone at dinner, Oscar claiming he wasn't hungry and staying upstairs where he had run to.

" _I gotta admit Oz, still a little shocked that you didn't say more. The kid effectively told you to stay in the closet._ "

"I wasn't going to use the litany of vocabulary you just uttered," Ozpin said, rubbing his forehead. "That would only aggravate the situation. And I know how it sounds, but us being the same gender isn't what's bothering him. I know that much from when I came out to him. He's upset that other students saw us kissing before school set out."

" _Oz, no one was outside._ "

"But there were three floors of classes facing us, it's not that I don't understand his embarrassment but-"

" _Oz, adults are_ supposed _to embarrass their kids. Have you_ not _noticed the teasing I give Yang while we all wait for her to come out?_ "

"I suppose…" Ozpin said. "But we've never been like that. To my knowledge I've never embarrassed him before now."

" _Yeah, but there's a difference there. You two had that bitch in your lives. There wasn't room to be embarrassed. The kid thinks he's supposed to take care of you, make up for everything you went through._ "

"I'm not unaware of that, Qrow, but what am I supposed to do? Nuance or not, he's upset that I'm _happy_. I don't…" He sighed, rubbing his forehead again. "I don't know what to do," he confessed.

" _No one ever does, Oz. We fuck our way through it and pray we do it right. I've got years of mistakes I've made to my nieces, way worse than what we did this afternoon, and they still turned out alright, and for some reason they still love me._ "

" _Qrow_ , you are a remarkable uncle to them; don't sell yourself short."

" _And the same goes for you. I've got an hour before I have to leave for shift. Do you want me to come over?_ "

"... No," Ozpin decided. "Seeing you might make it worse, and I have two weeks of his sulking to wade through."

" _So… what? Is Oscar going to make you not see me so the little shit can feel better?_ "

"No, I-"

" _Whatever. It's fine. I gotta go._ "

Qrow hung up, and Ozpin stared at the phone, blinking at the sudden downward turn. His stomach hollowed out, and he looked at his rushed salad and lost all his appetite. He put his head in his hands, phone pressed to his forehead, wondering what he could do now that the two most important men in his life were mad at him.

Sighing, he got up and leaned on his cane, packing up his half eaten salad for compost and limping to the living room. His knee was bothering him, and he sat in his chair and put his foot up. He sat there for a long time, and ugly as it was he felt like he did after Salem: a living disappointment, a failure, unable to help the people he was supposed to love. The sensation was dark and low, something he hadn't felt since the closing on the house - knowing he could provide a roof over Oscar's head and food in his belly.

How could he appease both? How could he help Oscar become acclimated to sharing him, and Qrow to understand how important Oscar's opinions were? He felt numb, inside and out, and he wasn't sure if he even had the energy to get up and go through the process of going to bed. Sitting in the silence was a dark pace to be - it evoked memories of her, after a fight: the silent treatment; or the heavy silence of sitting in his car and summoning the energy to go into the house, to face her after seeing seven messages on his phone and knowing she was in a bad mood.

"It's not the same," he told himself. "It's not the same…"

He was in an old pattern, an old habit. There had been a fight, and he sat in silence feeling the failure. That was not the appropriate response now, because it was not _Salem_ who was the participant in the fight. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to get up again. Pacing wasn't going to be much better, but at least it wasn't _sitting_ , he moved to his office, turning the light on and drifting his eyes over the bookshelves. He pulled out his book of fairy tales, one of the main sources for his graduate dissertation and flipped it open, eyes scanning the index. There had been precious little outside of clothes that had followed him from the west coast, but this had been mandatory.

Ozpin closed his eyes, turning the problem over, constructing the tale, the moral. Yes, that might work.

He left the tome on his desk after a gentle caress, and went through the effort of going up the stairs. His leg gave ghastly spasms of pain for the effort, but he knocked on Oscar's door.

No answer.

Silent treatment…?

Oz shook his head, trying to shake off the automatic emotional reaction. He steeled himself and twisted at the knob; it was unlocked, and he entered Oscar's room. The bed was up against one wall, a small half-bookshelf acting as a window seat, a desk on the opposite wall. Oscar was sitting on his bed cross-legged, reading one of his textbooks.

"Oscar," he said softly. "We need to talk."

To his credit, his son took a deep breath and put the book away, gesturing to his desk chair. Ozpin sat, leaning his chin on his cane and regarded Oscar. "Who should start?" he asked.

Oscar's hazel eyes were an open book, there was a lot he wanted to say, but he turned away quickly, crossing his arms and shutting the thought down. Right.

"Once upon a time," Ozpin said, "There was a pauper prince. The boy grew up a pauper, only to be discovered by his royal lineage later. He was expected to perform his princely duties, but after living in poverty he had no idea the power he had. He came to his duties thinking he would not have much say in the law of the land, but his bitterness made him say many things without understanding the power his words had, nor the damage they wrought. Entire families were torn apart by him, and he none the wiser for it."

"Sounds a little melodramatic," Oscar said, voice low and sullen. "I'm not trying to tear you apart."

"Aren't you?"

" _No_ ," Oscar said, more emphatic this time. "Look, what did you expect? You both promised me you would give me time to get used to it, and I'm trying - I _promise_ I'm trying - but then you broadcast yourselves all over the middle school-"

"Correction," Ozpin said. "We shared a private kiss in an empty parking lot without realizing that we could be seen from the windows."

"That doesn't change anything."

"Correction again, that changes intent. We had followed the rules you had stipulated; there was an unforeseen error, but we did not deliberately go against your wishes."

"Does that even matter?" Oscar countered, trying to hold the debate. "The consequence is still the same - everyone thinks you're a fag now, and the bullying is going to get even worse. I remember your tale about the toxic jungle, and I'm trying to get into clean air, but this whole thing has-"

"I understand," Ozpin said, holding up a hand. "But here is the salient question: what do you wish me to do about it?"

"There's nothing you _can_ do is there?" Oscar said. "It's all out in the open now, the damage has been done, and I'm left being more miserable in school that I usually am."

"There _is_ something I can do," Oz said, pulling out his phone. "But before I suggest it I would posit that you fail to see the power you have over me. Consider this: We did not leave until I saw that your mother was doing to you what she was doing to me. I planned that escape for your safety, I put this house in your name for your safety. Everything I have done even before the escape was to keep you as safe and comfortable and healthy as possible. You are, without question, the most important person in my life. When Qrow and I discussed having a relationship I told him unequivocally that you had to come first. He readily agreed. That is the level of power you hold over me; that, your highness, is the decision you must make:

"Do you want me to break up with Qrow?"

The question hung in the air, Oscar staring in horror at the question. Ozpin didn't say anything, let the silence breath, using it for positive change instead of negative self-doubt.

"I can't make you… What… How would I even… I can't make you do that!"

"Can't you?" he asked, holding the phone up. "You are the most important person in my life. I would sacrifice everything - and that includes my own happiness - for you. You have told me, more than once, that you feel responsible for me after everything that happened. Very well then: take that responsibility, and tell me what to do."

"Dad, I don't want you to sacrifice your _happiness_ …! I don't want you to break up with Mr. Qrow…!"

"Then what is it that dissatisfies you, your highness? Is it that Qrow and I are both men?"

"No, I told you that!"

"Then why do you cringe when you see us expressing our love for each other?"

"It's just _weird_ ," Oscar sputtered. "You never did that kind of stuff with mom and, like, I get that because she was really scary; but now you're doing it all over the place with Mr. Qrow-"

"Correction: we do it here at home, or in the car, exactly as stipulated by you."

" _Dad_ , don't split hairs right now. I come down in the morning and see him sleeping in your bed while you're getting breakfast, or he's massaging your leg when that's _my_ job, or he's ordering dinner when _I'm_ the one who's supposed to cook when you've had a bad day."

"Oscar," Ozpin said, still holding up his phone. "Why are you so upset about Qrow alleviating you of responsibilities you were never supposed to have?"

"Because it's _my_ thing," Oscar said, voice intense. " _I'm_ the one who's supposed to take care of you, because Mom never did, and no one else was ever there to do it!"

Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Ozpin pressed: "So you would drop everything and take care of me for the rest of your life? You would be shackled by me until your hair is as white as mine out of obligation? Children do not exist to take care of their parents - it's _supposed_ to be the other way around."

Oscar growled, his entire body shifting with energy. "That was never _our_ family, was it?" he demanded. "Both of us had to take care of Mom and make sure she was always happy and calm her down when she was mad, and even when we were perfect it still wasn't enough. Now we're finally safe and it can be just the two of us. I like living here, we didn't have to be afraid all the time, you could relax and it was really good - and now a new guy is here. What if he's just like Mom? What if I have to make sure you can catch your breath after a fight? What if he decides to come home drunk or something? He's an alcoholic, right? He's said as much more than once - what if-"

But Ozpin had gotten up and hobbled to Oscar's bed, pulling him into the tightest hug he could offer. He kissed his son's head and pressed his face into that soft mess of brown hair. Oscar resisted, tried to pull away, but the anxiety was out in the open now and it bled out of him.

"I'm afraid to share you… I'm the only one who doesn't hurt you - even Mr. Qrow hurt you - he gave you the silent treatment last year when you talked to Yang. I have to take care of you… no one else will…"

"Sh…" Ozpin whispered, rocking back and forth. "Sh… I know. I know. I understand…"

"I don't want him to hurt you…" and Oscar's voice was watery. "You're so happy… but what if…"

"I know… I know…"

Oz waited out the storm, held off on saying anything and just comforted his pauper prince. He looked at the phone in his hand, thinking, before he unlocked it.

_Had a breakthrough. We need to talk, but later._

For now, he had to be there for his son.

* * *

Being grounded sucked; even after several meetings with guidance and a couple of _very_ uncomfortable conversations with Dad, it wasn't that Oscar didn't understand he was in the wrong for throwing the first punch. It wasn't even that he didn't understand that - right as he was to be angry at Cardin Winchester - that his _over_ anger came from a lot of other places. He was starting to resent that his Mom had messed up so many parts of his life, including the parts that she wasn't supposed to touch. He got the need to talk to someone, and he loved his Dad for taking on as much of that role as he could - but grounding?

He sighed, wondering if all this talking was going to change anything. He was still uncomfortable with Mr. Qrow dating his Dad - he may have better understood _why_ , but that didn't make the _feeling_ any less.

For now he ducked upstairs when Mr. Qrow came over, wanting his dad to be happy but not wanting to irritate himself - and thereby make his dad _un_ happy. Mr. Qrow wasn't Mom, he knew that in his head, but he didn't know it yet in his heart, and that's what he had to work on.

Working on it while banned from being anywhere but home after school didn't help. Not going anywhere on the weekends didn't help. Sighing, he wondered if maybe he should spend time with Mr. Qrow without his dad, try and figure out what he needed to be okay with the relationship.

Oscar sighed again, looking up at the ceiling. It was Thursday, one of Dad's late days on campus, and it was almost five. He must've hit traffic. Mr. Qrow was with his family, Oscar had the entire afternoon to himself. His homework was long done, he'd just finished his book, and he was _bored_.

He pulled out his phone. _ETA?_ He asked.

Just as he hit send he heard the garage door - his father was home. Oscar got up and darted downstairs, opening the door for his Dad.

"I'm sorry," Dad said, coming in with his briefcase. "It's the end of the semester. Is there anything in the fridge, I don't remember doing a food list this morning."

"No, and no," Oscar said, "All we have left is flour and sugar, some crackers and frozen pizza."

His dad made a face, clearly tired and always distasteful for frozen foods. "No help for it, I suppose," he said.

Oscar nodded. "I already did the food list, and I picked a recipe for the weekend, and I made a list of what we need to restock for longterm cooking. All that's left is the food money."

"Which I provide," Dad said with a smile. "Very well, let's take a trip to the store. Are you hungry?"

"Not yet. Crackers, remember?"

"We can get something from produce. Maybe a rotisserie chicken or sushi. That way we can eat as soon as we sit."

Oscar agreed, and they filed into Dad's car; his dad making a face at the thought of more driving. Oscar brought the list and the grocery bags, piled neatly on his lap as they drove three-quarters of the way to the Xiao Long house before turning in a different direction, passed the pharmacy for Dad's medications and to the chain grocery store.

They always bought just what they needed, Dad saying frivolities were best saved for when they were out of debt, and every two weeks they made a list and bought what they could in bulk. There were two stores: the bulk store and the grocery store. Bulk came first because they were mostly dry goods: pasta, hard cheeses, toilet paper, vitamins, coffee. Oscar drove the cart while Dad navigated the isles with the list, picking out items and looking for the best buy before gesturing for Oscar to add it to the cart. They could keep in the car, and after that was the grocery store three lights down. They spent most of their time in produce, Dad picking and nitpicking what vegetables, fruits, aromatics, etc were the best quality. After that was miscellaneous supplies: mouth wash, toothpaste, the occasional battery, cuts of meat to be frozen for later usage, milk - and yes, frozen food for when they were desperate.

The checkout line was long, Dad was shifting his weight back and forth, meaning his leg was hurting from the long drive and an hour of food shopping. That meant a bath tonight, and a massage if there was time before bed. That made Oscar feel good, like he was doing something for his father.

Oscar darted to the far side of the checkout line, beginning bagging while his father pulled out his wallet to settle the bill. It took every bag they had, but Oscar started shoving the cart forward so they could get home. It was seven thirty at night, the sun low in the May sky but not yet set. Dad was lagging behind, his leg bothering him, and Oscar set himself up by the trunk and waited for the lights to blink and say it was unlocked.

A shadow passed over the car from the side opposite Dad, and Oscar looked up to see a mountain of a man, thick and muscled, looming over him. He frowned, remembering the size, the dark hair, the-

He froze.

Gretchen's brother.

Hazel Rainhart.

_Oh, no_.

Oscar had two urges spur simultaneously in his brain: first was to _run away_ , the guy was taller than even _Dad_ , and what he did to his Dad… The second was realizing that his dad was just a few feet away, and in imminent danger. The two impulses warred inside him for the beat of two breaths, and he stood to his full height, glaring at the giant, fists balled to his side.

And he stood in front of the man.

The giant looked down on him, face blank. "Can I help you?" he asked, and Oscar remembered the voice from the pit stop last summer, the favor of getting him a bag of chips. The man seemed confused, as if he didn't remember Oscar. That was probably for the best, but Oscar wasn't going to give him an answer.

Rainhart moved to step to the side, and Oscar got in his way again. He was shaking all over, but this was something he could do. Rainhart frowned, tried to move again, and Oscar moved again.

"Boy, what are you doing?" he asked.

The lights to the trunk blinked, and Oscar turned at the flash, and Rainhart stepped aside.

"Oscar, what are you doing impeding a man's…"

Dad, having finally caught up, stopped talking and stared up at Rainhart.

"Hello. Ozpin."

"Mr. Rainhart," Dad said, reaching up and adjusting his glasses. "I must confess it's a surprise to see you."

"I can only imagine," the giant rumbled, sounding so calm. Oscar didn't let that lower his defenses, however. "You did a lot to stay hidden."

"Not particularly. My name is well known in academic circles."

"But your address isn't."

"Oh, really?" The ignorance was feigned, almost coy, and Oscar got in front of Rainhart again. The man looked down, face dark this time instead of confused, and his brown eyes narrowed.

"Oscar," Dad said. "It seems we've forgotten some bags. Go inside and ask the cashier if they're with her."

"Dad, no, don't send me-"

" _Now_ Oscar. Mr. Rainhart and I have a long overdue conversation to have."

"But-"

" _Please_."

Oscar looked back and forth between the two, and he winced in pain as he moved back to the grocery story, pulling out his phone as he went.

_SOS SOMEBODY CALL ME._

He stepped inside and all but ran to the exit, hiding behind a pile of grass seed bags. Dad and Rainhart were still talking, Dad putting the groceries in the trunk like this was perfectly normal and not a _life and death situation_. Oscar circled around the far side of the parking lot, giving a wide berth so Rainhart didn't see him. His phone clutched in his hand, it vibrated when he was almost parallel to the conversation.

" _Kid, this had better be good._ "

Of course Mr. Qrow was the one who called.

"Gretchen's brother is talking to my dad," he said softly, still moving, turning to walk backwards so his eyes never left the conversation.

" _And who the hell is Gretchen's brother? Oscar, we're about to sit down for dinner…_ "

"This is the guy who put Dad in the hospital a second time," Oscar said, voice more insistent. The beat of silence gave him time to cut to another row of case, still walking backwards, eyes locked on his dad.

" _... Shit. Where are you?_ "

"The grocery store near your house."

" _I'll be there in five. Hang up, call the cops, tell them the story._ "

"No, there's no point," Oscar whispered, cutting another row of cars. He was well behind Rainhart now, almost in the same lane. The man was blocking his view of his father, but now he had the element of surprise. "They didn't do anything last time." His phone was buzzing, the text he sent out getting replies, but he didn't have time to look. He finally made it to his aisle of cars, and he lowered his phone, hanging up so he wasn't distracted anymore. If - _when_ \- Rainhart did something, now he was ready.

* * *

" _Now_ Oscar. Mr. Rainhart and I have a long overdue conversation to have."

"But-"

" _Please_."

Oscar disappeared, and Ozpin held in a sigh of relief that his son was safe. He looked up to Hazel, eyes dark, and deliberately opened his trunk and started putting his grocery bags away. "How have you been doing?" he asked, "What brings you to New England?"

"You have a lot of gaul to ask that," Hazel said, voice low and gravely.

"Gaul? No, quite the contrary," Ozpin said, "In all honesty I am terrified to see you, but you are a man who is aggrieved, and it's only right that you receive a space to air out what you need in order to attain closure. The accident was a tragedy, and you, the most injured party."

"Fancy words," Hazel said, crossing his arms. "But they're meaningless."

Oz took a slow, silent breath through his nose as he put another bag in his car. "I don't mean them to be."

"It took the better part of a year to find you," Hazel said. "There isn't a single house that's in your name. Didn't even know to come here until the video came up."

"What video?" he asked conversationally. "My lectures take place in several places."

"No, the video of your boy jumping a kid and you on the ground. Salem found it and sent it to me."

_Salem saw us she knows where we live we're not safe what do we do how we-_

"We've grown close in the last four years," Hazel said, stepping forward. "She told me how you left, how you kidnapped your boy out from under her."

"Is that how she describes it?" Oz asked, brain on fire with activity with the revelation that somewhere on the internet there was a video that _Salem_ saw of Oscar's fight last year. It was everything he could do to stay present in the moment, to face the current danger instead of the future one. "That's unfortunate. The divorce settlement says otherwise. I assume you bringing her up was her idea. I can imagine the turn of phrase, 'Maybe let him know how worried I am; I know he is heartless but still my heart belongs to him, and I want him to know I still care.' Am I close?"

"Almost word for word," Hazel acknowledged. "She's not wrong. We both know how heartless you are."

"Mr. Rainhart, I was not the man the police were chasing who crashed into Gretchen, nor am I the rescue team that had to reach us. I was merely a man on a bike admiring the scenery. I understand your need to blame someone but-"

"I do blame you," Hazel said, finally uncrossing his arms and taking a dangerous step forward. "Because _you're_ the reason she swerved. She was on the phone with me, she was telling me about the chase and trying to pull over, and her last words were: 'oh, no, there's a guy.' She saw you, and she swerved, and she died, because _you_ were there."

Oz blinked, having never known this, his mind shot back to the accident, eyes drifting over the mountains and turning to see the cars crest the hill. Did he see young Gretchen? Could he picture her on her phone? But the memory was blank, all he could remember were the cars. His next clear memory was waking up in the hospital, all casts and metal pins and IVs, alone and uncomprehending. The idea of listening to someone's last words… to know that he…

Emotion welled up on Ozpin, and he blinked at it. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I had no idea…"

"Sorry isn't good enough," Hazel said. "You don't deserve to live. You don't deserve to raise that boy of yours. You don't deserve to be _happy_ , not when all you do is rob happiness from other people."

Oscar...

Qrow…

He took a shaky breath. "I cannot heal your pain, Hazel," he said, closing his trunk. "Nothing I say or do will satisfy you, and I do not see how…" he shook his head. "Fixating on me does not alleviate Gretchen's loss-"

"Don't say her name. You don't have the _right_ to say her name." Hazel's voice was louder now, Ozpin could hear a soft echo in the open space of the parking lot. He also saw Oscar, well behind Hazel and crossing to their aisle. No, _Oscar it isn't safe…_

Ozpin took a deep breath, stealing himself. "I have apologized," he said, "I have offered my condolences, and I do not know what more can be said. I had hoped to help you, but it would appear this conversation is over." He took the now empty shopping cart, laying his cane over it, and started to move away from Hazel to put it away. He made it two steps before Hazel's giant hand grabbed the cart and yanked it out of his grip, spinning it and his cane around and away. Ozpin shifted his weight instinctively, not wanting to put weight on his bad leg, and he half hopped back.

"Please," he said, hands up to be as non threatening as possible. "We are in a public parking lot, there is no need to be violent."

"Isn't there?" Hazel said, voice a tick louder. "When you say her name like you have the right to, like you deserve to be alive when _she_ isn't?"

"Mr. Rainhart," Ozpin said, taking another step back. He was forced to put weight on his bad leg - he tried to hide the limp, one eye on Oscar, looking on in horror and _please don't interject yourself in this you shouldn't even be seeing this_. "Do not let your anger at me cause trouble for yourself."

"You don't know me!" and finally Hazel shouted, voice reverberating off the parking lot and turning several heads. Ozpin backed up further and further, vaguely trying to get to the store where someone might see. His leg was agony, like white hot knives stabbing into his knee, his hip grinding. "You don't know what I want!"

"You are correct," he said quickly. _Back away, back away, Oscar, run_! "I don't know what you want, but I can hardly imagine anyone wanting to start a fight in a parking lot. Disputes such as this should be litigated and-"

"Shut up, _murderer!_ "

The fist was inevitable, of course, Ozpin knew it was only a matter of time before the anger completely clouded Hazel. His body couldn't decide to duck under the swing or hobble back and tried to do both, making him lose his balance and tumble to his back. _Missed!_ He scrambled to get up, every move sending white fire through his bad leg, but those precious seconds were all Hazel needed to close the distance and grab at his jacket _the neck the neck too close to the neck_ and pull him up, closing the foot gap in height so that Ozpin could be at a level. His feet over open air, Oz was high enough that he could see over Hazel's shoulder:

Oscar had his cane in hand, brandishing it like a sword and running up to them both. "Oscar…!"

" _Get away from my dad!_ "

Hazel turned, Oz swinging like a ragdoll in his grip, and caught the strike with his free fist. " _Oscar, run!_ " Oscar tried to wriggle the cane free, but Hazel turned enraged eyes to Ozpin.

"Maybe you'll understand a _fraction_ of my pain if your son suddenly died in front of you."

Oz struggled even more. _Oscar!_ "Please… Hazel… she wouldn't want this…"

" _Don't speak of her!_ " he roared, and with one jerking motion yanked the cane out of Oscar's grasp. He twirled it to a better grip and lifted it over his head, but Oscar was already running away, scrambling, and there was Qrow - _what_ \- running into the fray and grabbing his son and pulling him away. Thank god! Hazel roared in frustration, and slammed the cane down on the hood of a car, snapping it in half the force was so great and _oh, that was his grandfather's_ but Hazel then slammed _him_ into the parked car and his hip _rattled_ with the strike. Pain laced down his leg and up his spine. Agony. Jaw clenched to not cry out.

Hazel pushed his grip on his lapel, forcing Ozpin to bend back over the hood and now the pressure of the fist was on his chest and two inches higher it would be on his _neck not the neck_ and _what was he going to do who was going to take care of Oscar_ -

A hand grabbed at Hazel's bicep and yanked him back.

_Qrow?!_

Qrow was back again - _where was Oscar? -_ nimble enough to swing under a rage-induced strike.

Released, Ozpin slid off the hood and to the ground, hitting the asphalt and just jarring everything. _Breathe Ozpin, where is Oscar_ Qrow!

"You got a lotta nerve assaulting a guy with a cane," Qrow growled, arms arcing out to fists, feet spread, trying to make himself look bigger. "Cops are coming. You gonna add more to the rap sheet?"

"You stay out of this," Hazel roared. Ozpin flinched, struggling up to his knees and the _pain_ that caused. "You don't know what he's done!"

"What, you mean limping away in terror, asshole?" Oh Qrow, did you have to act so confident _now_? "Or trying to tell you to calm down? You think this crowd is gonna care what he did when _you_ were the one getting all up in his business?"

Hazel's rage had been given a new focus, and Ozpin crawled forward banging against his good knee. Oscar was there in a heartbeat - from _where_? - and Ozpin didn't even have time to be mad that his son was so _reckless_ he just grabbed at the offered hands and struggled to get to his feet. His hip wouldn't let him take his weight, he crumpled almost immediately. _Have to get up!_ All over again!

Hazel was shouting and Qrow shot back. Oh _Qrow_.

Ozpin leaned on Oscar, refusing to let go - had no other choice - his cane was _broken_ \- and limped to an awaiting crowd, _where did they all come from..._ all of them quick to absorb him and hide him from the assailant.

Turning, he saw Hazel swinging wildly, roaring, but Qrow ducked and avoided every strike, and only now did Ozpin dimly realize there were red and blue flashing lights, men in blue so dark as to be black appearing from the crowd. Qrow stopped instantaneously, hands up, which gave the furious Hazel an unhindered punch to his jaw, sending Qrow spinning back and crumpling to his knees.

_No!_ "Qrow…!"

His beloved got up quickly enough, rubbing his face, but then the cops were on Hazel, six men, wrestling him to the ground and pulling his hands behind him, reading his rights.

Qrow moved to Ozpin and pinned Oscar between them as he crushed Oz in a fierce hug. Ozpin slouched into it, holding the two most important people of his life close and refusing to let go.

" _Oscar_! Qrow!" He pulled back, leaned down and kissed Oscar on the side of his face, pulling him closer into a hug, then stood and grabbed Qrow's shirt to pull him in for a more direct kiss. "You're both _safe_. _Thank god!_ "

Qrow wrapped his arms around the both of them. "Safe and sound," he said lightly. "You've got the bravest son in the world."

"And Qrow came," Oscar said in a watery voice. "He _came_."

Feelings and emotions overwrought, Ozpin just clutched them both close again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draaaamaaaaaa; but also different types of drama.
> 
> First is the Oscar family/internal drama - he's uncomfortable with Qrow taking over caring for Oz not just because of resentment over horning in on duties Oscar always had, but he's also literally terrified of someone hurting his Dad again, and is convinced he's the only one who doesn't. That fight with Oz and Qrow? Well, Oscar has a long memory, and no matter how justified Qrow was to be mad it doesn't matter, because Oscar saw his father hurting and that's what imprinted on him. He doesn't expect anyone to come out and help his dad - because no one HAS come out to help his dad except him.
> 
> Next is the Oz internal drama - he's never really fought with his son before, and fights make him think of Salem and he has to unlearn all his reactions: no sitting and stewing, no helpless exploration of all his failures, he choses to get up and do something - and even uses silence for good instead of evil. And, more background, we learn that he and Qrow will sometimes have different reactions about Oscar.
> 
> Then there's the physical drama. Hazel shows up again and we realize he's been looking for Oz for a while - meaning SALEM has been looking for Oz in a while, and the incident with Jaune breaking Oz's leg suddenly comes back and bites them all. More on Salem a little later, but Hazel acts as a great reminder of how manipulative and charming she is to the outside world. We're so locked in Oz's perspective but there's a reason nobody guessed what was happening behind closed doors.
> 
> Also: Qrow finally gets to use his belligerence to good use!
> 
> And nooooo, the cane is broken! What were the twins thinking? Hold that thought...
> 
> Next chapter: Tai continues to play Best Supporting Character (TM) and we realize a little what Salem's been doing in the intervening years since Oz and Oscar's escape. Yang's plate is spun a little and another relationship box is ticked for the OzQrow list. In other words: FLUFF!


	22. Chapter 22

Tai was worried.

Very worried.

They had just been sitting down to dinner when they all got a text from Oscar for an SOS. Qrow had reacted fastest and called, going from dubious to swearing vociferously. He'd ordered Ruby to call him for details and told Tai to call the police and ran out of the house.

It turned out that someone from Ozpin's accident had resurfaced, and as Qrow explained the background over the phone for Tai to repeat to the police, something Tai had heard last summer but hadn't realized what it meant outside of Ozpin's ex being a complete _bitch_ , Tai realized just _what_ was going on and had to watch his daughter's look on in horror as the telephone tag continued.

Texts were vague, saying the police had arrived and that they were going to be a while for statements, etc.

Nothing since then. Ruby and Yang were worried and all Tai could do was say that they had to wait and hear. That going down to the station would probably make things take longer.

Then a text.

_Oz and Oscar haven't eaten. Police are driving Oz's car home. I'm bringing Oz over. That okay?_

_Yes. I'll Order A Pizza. Favorite Toppings?_

And so, at almost midnight, girls (probably not) in bed, a police car drove up and Tai watched Qrow get out and help Ozpin - without his cane - up to the house, Oscar hovering around. A policeman held open the door and Tai surged forward, grabbing Ozpin's other side.

"What the _hell_ happened?" Tai demanded.

"I'm fine," Ozpin said. "Please, get some ice for Qrow."

"I'll get it!" Oscar said, running to the kitchen.

Tai looked to his brother (in-law) and saw a bruise along the jaw that was stretching halfway up his cheek. " _Shit_ , Qrow! Is your jaw broken?"

Together they helped Ozpin to the couch and the professor let out a heavy sigh, leaning back as Qrow lifted his bad leg with great care to stuff pillows under it. Oscar came running back in with ice for Qrow and the police helped set things up, took the pizza when it arrived and actually got out plates while Tai forced Qrow to sit down and explain _what the hell had happened_.

Tai had a lot of words that weren't fit for polite company in regards to Ozpin's ex.

"Don't worry," Qrow said, barely moving his jaw. "I'll say exactly what you're thinking. She's a-"

"Oscar is still awake and in the room," Ozpin interrupted.

"I've heard all the swears already, Dad."

"That may be, but _I_ don't particularly want to hear you using them yet."

"Good luck with that," Tai offered lightly.

"Hmm," Ozpin nodded. "Besides, Oscar, you need to go to bed."

" _Daaad_ …"

Ozpin raised a brow. "We adults need to do things like call into work, rearrange schedules and the like. You simply need to go to bed and get sleep."

Oscar frowned heavily before turning to Qrow. "You'll get him to bed soon?"

Qrow nodded with a salut. "Yes, sir."

"No sex?"

And Tai watched both Qrow and Ozpin choke and he had to work to hold back his mirth.

"No sex," Qrow nodded, barely moving his jaw. "Your dad needs rest, first and foremost. I wasn't even thinking of it."

Oscar nodded. "Okay."

Tai stood. "The girls set up a sleeping bag in their room. Let's get you settled."

Once the children were settled, he came back to the living room to find that Qrow had grabbed a chair and set up next to Oz and was gently massaging the bad leg. Tai watched from the doorway for a moment, looking at how soft Qrow's face was and intent, as he just took care of his partner.

He hadn't seen that face on Qrow in a long, long time.

Ozpin said something, reached out, then pulled Qrow in for a kiss.

Tai smiled, gave them a moment, and decided to tease.

"No sex, remember?" he said, coming in.

"Fuck off," Qrow growled, but there was no heat.

"I assure you, Tai," Ozpin said tiredly, "I am not in the mood."

"You sound tired, Oz," Qrow said. "Want us to call Beacon for you? Let you get to sleep?"

"No," Ozpin said softly. Then, with an effort, heaved himself up to a more upright position. Qrow automatically shifted pillows around before going back to massaging the bad leg. "I needed Oscar away so that I could talk to the two of you: I have a problem."

Tai pulled a chair over as well. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ozpin rubbed his face and let out a heavy sigh. "Salem."

"What the fuck does that bitch have to do with anything?" Qrow growled, still barely moving his jaw.

"The ex?" Tai asked.

Ozpin nodded. "You have to understand, when I escaped, I knew I had to get as far away as possible. I packed up Oscar and flew across the country to have three thousand miles between us. I changed our names, I put our house in Oscar's name, I made sure that I lived _far_ away from where I work because I _am_ known in academic circles. The divorce was bitter and long."

"Yeah, she is a bitch," Qrow said. "If I ever meet her I'm not sure how responsible I'll be for my actions."

Ozpin gave a baleful look. "She might know how to find me now."

Tai felt something drop in his stomach and he watched Qrow's eyes widen.

" _What_?"

"She already knows where I work, she discovered that last year," Ozpin explained. "I expected that would happen eventually. But I have that bonus of not living close to campus and the legal name change."

"Wait," Tai interrupted. "You're not Ozpin Ozma?"

"I am," Ozpin said. "That's how she found me. But all my documents, everything I sign, is now Ozpin Pine."

"Oscar Pine," Qrow said. "Got your name from your address?"

Ozpin shrugged. "It was random and has no metaphorical meaning. Like someone choosing to use 'blowfish' for a password. Salem will look for metaphors and meaning."

"But then, how does she know where you live now?" Tai asked.

"She might," Ozpin said. "Hazel Rainhart said he'd gotten close to her over the past few years. He found me because of a video."

"Video?" Tai raised his brows.

"Of one of Oscar's fights last year," Ozpin said tiredly. "With me on the ground."

" _Fuck_ ," Qrow muttered. "Now she has a town to look at."

"Hazel Rainhart did," Ozpin nodded. "Whether he's told her or not…" He sank into the pillows, dark circles under his eyes. "My worst fear is her reappearing. Taking Oscar away. Mr. Rainhart already was easily convinced that I had kidnapped Oscar away from his mother."

"You have _got_ to be kidding," Qrow growled. " _You_? Kidnapping Oscar? Did that guy not see Oscar trying to protect you?"

"Stockholm Syndrome, I'm sure," Ozpin sighed. "That I've manipulated Oscar against her, that I'm a narcissist who loves Oscar slaving over me, that I'm raising him so poorly that her sweet little boy is now getting into fights…" Ozpin stared up at the ceiling. "I was with her for over fifteen years. I can guess how she talks about me."

Tai's jaw dropped. "You're _shitting_ me."

"Unfortunately not," Ozpin said softly, rubbing at his face. "As I've told Qrow, she has a very good public face. No one would ever know what she's like behind closed doors." He looked tiredly at them. "I don't know what to do. My instinct is to move somewhere else, but I've neither the funds for that, nor the desire now that I'm _happy_."

Qrow reached over and held his hand.

"It's fairly simple," Qrow said. "If she shows up I'll kick her ass."

Ozpin's lips twitched into a tired smile.

"Let's look at this differently," Tai said. "She showed up last year, right?"

"Closer to a year and a half," Ozpin said, sinking deeper into the pillows. "Trailed after me from class to class causing a scene until the restraining order was enforced."

"But she hasn't been back since?"

"No."

Tai frowned. "Why not come back to Beacon? She can find you there now."

Ozpin's mouth twitched. "She has tried."

" _What_?" Qrow growled, then winced for moving his jaw so much.

"Not in person," Ozpin clarified, "but emails and phone messages. The secretary of the department knows to hang up on her, after almost a year of her calling, but she can still call my direct line to leave voicemails. I don't listen. I had to make recordings of them since they filled up my voicemail. I have a folder in my school email dedicated to all her emails. I don't read those either."

"Why the _fuck_ are you keeping them?"

"Evidence of harassment," Ozpin sighed tiredly. "Even though I'm Ozpin Pine, my school account still reads as Ozpin Ozma. Partially because it _is_ how I'm known in academic circles, and also to obscure Oscar from her. She hopefully doesn't know I've changed our names."

Qrow started muttering a litany of curses under his breath.

"My question still stands," Tai said. "Why hasn't she appeared on campus again?"

Ozpin frowned, rubbing his face and Tai could see the exhaustion was still trying to pull him down. "My best guess is funding. Salem has always been scared of spending money. She's likely saving for another trip."

"Scared of spending?" Qrow asked. "You were a professor at Berkeley. You may not have been rolling in dough, but you were well off."

Ozpin shook his head. "Remember, we married in high school. We're from a small, _very_ conservative town. The kind of town that views things outside the Bible as automatically lesser and amoral. That's how the two of us fell in love. We were both fed up with the constrictions of an appropriately modest and evangelical upbringing." He gave a bitter laugh. "Yet we still followed their ideals and married. Went to the same college…" He shook his head. "Too many regrets…"

Tai interjected to keep on his point. "So your ex knows where you teach but is a spendthrift."

"...More like hoarder."

"Whatever," Tai continued. "So she won't be back until she can get what she wants. Would that be a fair assessment?"

"In terms of rationality," Ozpin agreed. "She isn't rational, but she's good at pretending to be."

"So she knows where you teach, if this Rainhart guy could figure out our town, would your ex?"

Ozpin brought his free hand to his chin, tired eyes thinking. "It's hard to say. At this point I've been free from her for years. When we were together, I would judge no. She would have left that to me."

"But now?"

"She doesn't have me to do everything for her," Ozpin offered a wan smile. "She would have had to either do it herself or get someone else to. At the moment, I'd wager she has Mr. Rainhart doing things for her. The question, I suppose, is if he has had a chance to tell her or not."

"Doesn't matter," Tai said. "Rainhart-less will get bail and a phone call eventually. It's best to assume she knows. The most telling thing is that Rainheart-less didn't find you at your home or the school. He doesn't know where you live."

Ozpin sighed all the way down, his eyes fluttering shut. "Then we're safe…"

Qrow stood and leaned over, kissing Ozpin lightly. "Get some rest, Oz."

He gave a sleepy nod, but Tai was pretty sure Ozpin was already falling asleep.

Qrow looked over to him, face worried.

"Yeah," Tai said. "Yeah."

* * *

Yang and Ruby were more than happy to give gory details on Uncle Qrow swooping in to save his boyfriend Professor Ozpin to their friends in school, all four of them reflecting that it was equal parts scary but _very_ romantic. For three days they oogled over it as they walked to the middle school; Yang and Ruby still spied from around the corner for some kind of loving kiss, but Oscar had informed them that, after the fight, they were way more discrete.

They were finally allowed to the professor's house once Oscar's grounding was over, and after so many weeks of seeing him sulking Yang was pleased to see he was much brighter - he smiled more, and when they sat down for homework while Uncle Qrow and the professor were in the kitchen, he explained:

"When I was growing up, it was just my dad and me," he said. "I always wanted someone to come in and rescue us, but no one ever did. And I guess, over time… I just assumed no one would. Dad says that's why I was so against Qrow - no offense."

"None taken," Ruby said quickly.

"That's why I was so against Qrow. I didn't trust him to look out for us, even for the little stuff. He asked how to help with Dad, and I told him, but I didn't believe it, I didn't trust it." Oscar shrugged his shoulders. "But he came. He came for both of us, and… I don't know… it changes how you look at people."

"Yes, it would," Blake said, sipping her water bottle. "You know who really loves you when they do something like that." Her gaze blurred, and Yang knew she was thinking about That Night, and Yang was, too: she could still remember the feeling of her front wheel bending as she ran it into Adam, and she could still remember the snap of her arm breaking. Her hands shook a little, and she hid them under the coffee table.

Blake looked over, somehow always knowing when Yang was having a little trouble, and she reached over and touched her arm.

It was getting weird - at least for Yang. Sometimes they would see each other across the classroom, and Yang's eyes were drawn to all that thick dark hair, and her gold eyes, and she would have to look down before something weird and different pooled inside her. She didn't have a word for it, yet - at least not one she wanted to say in her own head, let alone _out loud_ , and it was easier to talk about Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin. Them being together didn't… _excite_ … her in new ways, but seeing them holding hands on the couch or Uncle Qrow leaning in for a kiss, they could fire up a fantasy in her head. One she would play with at night when she was going to sleep, and-

"Yang? You with us?"

"Uh, yeah," she said quickly. "Five paragraph essays and transitional sentences."

Blake shifted next to her, edging closer to look at her notes, and her hair brushed against Yang's arm, silky and soft, and _what was she supposed to do_. Yang held her breath, covering her mouth before Blake leaned back.

"You always word things really well," Blake said, "I'm a little envious."

"Oh, uh, it's nothing," Yang said quickly. "I can't keep all those civil rights stuff straight in my head, so. Yeah. I don't know how you do it."

Blake shrugged her shoulders, she was in a sleeveless button up with some sheer black gloves that went up to her biceps, and something about the curve of her arm… Yang shook her head.

"Cookies!" Ruby said, and Yang was grateful for the distraction. Uncle Qrow came in with the plate, the professor trailing after and taking his reserved seat and putting his leg up. Today were snickerdoodles and Yang's sister took three automatically, Oscar reaching simultaneously and Weiss studying the pile before discreetly taking one. Yang took two, just for something to do, and Blake asked if they were vegan.

"Rest assured," Professor Ozpin said kindly, "All the cookies I make are now vegan."

Nodding, she reached over to take one, and Yang quickly looked down to her notes before anything else happened in her head. Why was today so _bad_ , sometimes she could control it but today…! Ugh, what was wrong with her?

"Okay, that takes care of English," Weiss said, traditional homework leader. "We all did math in study hall and science requires several pages of reading. I recommend we take a break before continuing."

"Well, I still have a reading log to do," Oscar said. "I can do that in my room where it's quiet." Deftly he snatched another cookie just ahead of Ruby.

"Ah! How dare you! A cookie grudge is a terrible thing!"

"You'll forget by the time you go home," Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"No I won't!"

"Well," Yang said, "If we're on break I'm going to go for a walk. Sitting still just hurts after a while."

She ducked out of the house as fast as she could reasonably be expected to do. It was warm outside, and she pulled into a light jog - no one would question her red cheeks if she'd been exercising.

Seriously, what was _wrong_ with her? She would go to bed at night imagining all these _things_. Like, that was normal, she'd been in health class enough to know that - but reading about it and _living through it_ were two different things. Yang felt weird in her own body, and guilty that she was a stereotypical girl.

Except…

 _Boys_ weren't what sparked those thoughts in her, and she was really starting to struggle with that. She kept thinking about all those sleepovers the four of them would have, sharing her bed with Blake or sometimes Weiss, and now _nice_ it felt, and wondering if this had always been with her. Uncle Qrow teased her all the time, but she always thought it was because he was the Bi-Disaster, that the title came with some kind of right to tease everybody because he could be into anybody.

Yang played her fighter games and she always wanted to be the strongest girl character in the game - and usually that meant the one with the best figure, and Yang would just stare at the idle animations until Ruby asked what she was doing. She slowed to a walk and put her hands to her cheeks, then ran her hands through her hair. God, she was so _distracted_ today. Was she due, was that it? Ugh, the thought made her even _more_ red.

Yang made two laps around the block, alternating between running and walking, and as she made it back to the professor's house she pulled her hair up into a tail. She was sweating all along her back, and she didn't feel much better as she looked up to the house.

Blake was on the porch, sitting in the two-person seat ( _not_ calling it a loveseat) with her bare feet up on the railing. Her cat ears were dangling dangerously low on her head, her nose buried in a book.

She looked _beautiful_.

God. Play it cool, Yang, play it cool.

"Let me guess," she said, climbing the front steps, "Ruby and Weiss are fighting."

"On whether Eros or Eurus was the Greed god of sex for World History," Blake said gravely. "Mr. Qrow was making weird faces and Professor Ozpin was telling him not to ruin us. I took that as a sign to come out here."

"I can imagine," Yang said. And, well… the seat _was_ free, it wasn't weird to sit next to a friend. Justification made, she sat next to Blake and put her feet up, too.

"Good run?"

"Kinda," Yang said. "Good book?"

"Kinda."

They laughed.

"What's it about?"

"It's one of the earliest versions of _Beauty and the Beast_. Professor Ozpin leant it to me. Some of the words are really hard, but I like the challenge."

… Dead conversation again. Yang, honestly, think of something!

"How have you been doing?" she asked, staring intensely at her sneakers.

A heavy pause drew out, and Yang winced that she asked such a sensitive question. Her hands started to shake a little.

"Better… I think," Blake said, putting her book down. She pulled her feet off the rail and shifted her weight to sit cross legged, turning slightly to fit more neatly into the corner of the love seat. "I don't have as many night terrors, and my crisis counselor has pulled me through a lot. I can raise my hand in school now - I'm still anxious, but now I _know_ I'm anxious. I know that it's in my head instead of telling myself it's in my head, if that makes sense."

"It does," Yang said. "I remember when you first came back to school. You were so _skittish_."

Blake blushed, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Damn it, Yang.

"Hey, sorry," she said quickly, putting her feet down and turning to face her more fully. "I didn't mean to bring it all back up."

"No, it's fine," Blake said. "It's just… I've always been a weak person, I guess. I didn't really know it at the time, but Adam... people like him pick weak people because they're easy to manipulate. I thought I was so smart, so mature, and he took that and got in my head. He made me feel small." She looked up, cat ears now even lower on her head. "I'm not small," she said. "I know that now. Kinda. But I'm still weak, and I don't know if I'll ever be strong."

"Well," Yang said, trying to find the right words. "For now, you don't have to be. I mean, we're teenagers but we're still kids. The whole point of high school is to get us ready for the real world, right?"

"Maybe," Blake said, looking down and her headband dipping even lower. "But sometimes I feel like everyone else is so strong. Weiss escaped from her dad, Oscar is younger than all of us but he stood up to someone twice his size. And you… even with all the danger you dove right in anyway. I love you for that." _She said I love-_ "But I hate myself too. Because I put you in that position in the first place."

"Don't hate yourself for that," Yang said, fierce. She put a hand on Blake's and leaned in, getting her attention. "I did it because I care - I wouldn't have otherwise. I've always cared."

God, what was she even _saying_ …!

Blake looked up, startled by the declaration, and they were so close now and Yang's entire body was _vibrating_ ; Blake's eyes were a bright gold and so _beautiful_ , and her lips were parted in a way that looked really interesting for reasons Yang didn't fully understand yet and she was _right there_ and Yang was starting to lean in and it looked a little bit like Blake was too and-

Her cat ears finally fell, thwacking Yang right on her nose and startling both of them.

They pulled apart immediately, Blake fumbling for her headband. They stared at each other, wide eyed, over what had almost happened. Yang was weirdly out of breath, her body was still on fire, and a random, idle thought sprung up in her head: is this why people always talked about cold showers?

"... Science."

"Yeah. Science. Definitely. We uh, have reading to do."

"Yeah. Yeah, Weiss and Ruby should be done fighting."

"Definitely."

"Definitely."

They got up, Yang was actually _shaking_ with untapped energy, and they moved back into the house. Ruby and Weiss were in separate corners, Uncle Qrow somewhere else in the house, and Professor Ozpin in his seat. He smiled on their reentry. "Welcome back," he said warmly. "I didn't realize how hot it was outside."

"W-what?" Yang stuttered.

"I assume the humidity has ticked up if even Miss Belladonna is red in the face, I'll have to tell Oscar to think about air conditioning instead of leaving the window open."

"Y-yeah. Of course. Totally hot outside."

Yang thought she was going insane.

* * *

Qrow was just finishing packing a meal for going into work. He had a double, so he had to go in early. He'd barely had time to pick up Oscar and bring him home, mostly because the two of them were working on fixing Oz's cane, before he had to rush home to prepare to go in.

His phone rang, and he picked it up and put it on speaker.

"Hey boss," he greeted his manager. "I'm heading in now. Let me get my keys and I'll be in my car."

" _That's what we need to talk about_ …"

"Did John call in sick? He wasn't looking good the other day."

" _No. Qrow, are you sitting down?_ "

"I will be in just a sec," he said, grabbing his phone. He locked his apartment door behind him and started heading downstairs. "And hey, for once I'll be early. Hold your applause."

" _Qrow… that's what-_ "

"Just a sec," Qrow opened his car and sat down. "You can just tell me when I get there…"

" _Qrow!_ "

He paused, looking at his phone. "Boss?"

There was a heavy sigh. " _I lost the fight_."

"What fight?"

" _Corporate. They've been wanting to fire you. I've argued against it for almost a month._ "

Qrow blinked, the news washing over him. "... What?"

" _You know how corporate is. They just look at bottom lines and not nuances._ " His manager let out a long, heavy sigh. " _Look, I know you're a great worker, very responsible, I like you. But all corporate sees is how late you always are._ "

"Boss, I have a family. Nieces to babysit, schedules to arrange. I'm never _that_ late-"

" _Corporate doesn't see it that way. They see all the lates, the times you've run out of work without any say, the time you_ didn't _show up with no notice. Sure,_ I _know it's been due to your niece going to the hospital or your squeeze's crazy ex, but they don't care about those details._ "

"So.. what? I'm fired?"

His manager sighed again, heavy and upset. " _Yeah. I did a lot of fast talking, and I was able to get you a small severance package. You're considered laid off officially. You've got two months of pay, I made sure of that._ " There was a bitter laugh. " _You need a letter of recommendation, you tell me._ "

"I… thanks… but… I'm fired?"

" _Yeah_."

"I… what do I even…" Qrow leaned forward against the steering wheel, everything swirling around him. "I don't know what to…"

" _Qrow, listen, consider this a night off. Consider this vacation. Don't look at it as no job yet. Take the time to plan. You hated corporate anyway._ "

"I… yeah…" Qrow looked around, at a loss. "Thanks. Thanks for calling and telling me and not being a dick about it."

" _Don't worry. Corporate's being the dick. They probably sent out your letter yesterday. I just… I didn't want you finding out that way._ "

"Thanks, Boss."

" _Hah. You can't call me that anymore_." And his manager's voice broke. " _Sorry, Qrow. Gotta go._ "

"Yeah…."

Qrow sat there.

He didn't know how long he sat there.

But he sat there.

Finally, he turned the key and drove.

He blinked when he pulled into the driveway.

Still in a daze, he walked up and went through the door.

"Qrow?" Ozpin asked, eyes brightening up. "Did your shifts get rearranged?"

Qrow just stared at him dumbly.

"Qrow?"

"I… uh…"

Oz's face was concerned and he guided Qrow to sit at the couch.

"Qrow?"

God, he had to say it. Qrow took a deep breath. "I just got fired."

" _What_?" that was Oscar. Qrow blinked and looked over to him.

"Yeah," he coughed. "I'm fired. Laid off, I suppose. My manager was able to wrangle a small severance package… Two months pay." Qrow shook his head. "Sweet _fucking_ Christ, I'm _fired_."

He buried his head in his hands. " _Shit_. Tai still has, what… ten more payments for Summer's hospital bills? _Fuck_ he won't be able to make them."

A hand was on his knee and he looked up to Ozpin. "Tai?"

"Yeah," Qrow said. "Summer's cancer, it lasted a few years. All the chemo, hospital visits, the hospital stay at the end, and then care at home for when she finally reached the end. We've been paying it off for _years_."

"I wasn't aware you were helping." Oz said softly.

"How could I _not_? Summer… She was the heart of us. Me, Tai, Raven, Summer, we were inseparable in college. When Raven skipped out, she helped put Tai back together. Almost had me put back together before...

"I was _fucking_ fired…"

"Was reasoning provided?"

Qrow barked out a bitter laugh. "Tardiness. See, I'll admit I have a habit of being late, it comes with wrangling nieces and family. But I've also up and disappeared from work and not shown up. Corporate decided I wasn't a good little worker, and that my services were no longer necessary."

Oz's hand on his knee squeezed sympathetically. A can of soda was put in front of him, and Qrow looked up to Oscar. "Thanks," he said softly.

Oscar nodded.

"It's my own damn luck but… _fuck_ what do I do now?"

Ozpin smiled gently at him. "Yell. Scream. Rage. Let out everything you're feeling. Then we can figure things out in the morning."

* * *

Qrow woke up slowly, his brain somewhere between asleep and numb. He could feel Ozpin spooned around him, bad leg over Qrow's as he usually did. Sighing, he reached for his watch to try and figure out what time it was.

"'S'alright," Ozpin said sleepily, nuzzling in closer. "...rest…"

Qrow was about to say he had to worry about work when it all hit him again.

 _Shit_. He looked around and realized it was still dark out, no dawn light filtering in at all. It was going to take forever to straighten out his sleep schedule. God, he was going to have to find a job… It had been hard enough the first time. The only reason he got it was because Clover went to bat for him. No one ever wanted to hire a recovering alcoholic. Add on that a simple google search would bring up the Poledinas and that whole mess… How the fuck would he answer those questions if that came up in an interview? He groaned. Just his luck… Always just his luck…

"...sleep…" Ozpin whispered in his ear. "...face everythin' w' fresh eyes…"

"Oz…"

"...dusty old crow…" Arms squeezed around him as Oz sleepily tried to pull him closer.

With great care for Oz's leg, Qrow turned around in Oz's arms and rested his head on Oz's chest. A hand lazily came up to Qrow's hair and Oz let out a contented hum. The air conditioner kicked on and Qrow just… lay there, held by a man he loved and tried to focus on the good instead of his shitty luck.

When he woke up again, it was because Oz's alarm went off and given how fitfully he'd slept, Qrow wanted to chuck the thing across the room. Even at five thirty in the morning, there was enough light to maneuver about the room without actually having to turn on the lights. But there was a problem. Ozpin wasn't in bed.

_Wha…?_

Ozpin needed to stretch before he could even get up. Qrow rubbed at his eyes and got up. He found Ozpin in his office, dressed and ready for the day, by his laptop.

"Oz," Qrow rubbed more sleep out of his eyes. "What the hell?"

His partner looked over and there was fatigue in his eyes, but he smiled brightly. "Good morning," he greeted.

"What the hell?" Qrow repeated. "What time did you get up?"

Ozpin shrugged. "An hour or so ago." He got up and leaned on the wooden replacement cane that was four inches too short, making him hunch. "I had some research to do."

Qrow looked at him. "Research."

"Yes," Ozpin said brightly. "Why don't you shower and get dressed. We can talk over breakfast. Oscar is definitely going to sleep in. He always does in the summer."

Qrow gave a flat look. "Oz, you're being mysterious. It isn't a good look on you right now."

Ozpin had hobbled over, leaned in and kissed Qrow soundly, the freehand feathering up Qrow's bare chest, thumbing one of Qrow's sensitive spots and moving his fingers to run through his hair before tracing down an arm. And _damn_ if that didn't just go straight to certain organs.

"Shower and get dressed. I _do_ have to leave for my classes."

"Are you sure?" Qrow said, mind spinning. "Are you… in the mood?" Because Ozpin didn't usually kiss that thoroughly.

"I am in _a_ mood," Ozpin replied lightly. "I acknowledge I've probably aroused you-"

" _Yes_."

"-but you need to get to that shower to work it off."

" _Christ_ , Oz."

"I'll be getting breakfast."

 _Right_. After his shower, Qrow got into his clothes from the previous day and came out to the kitchen, finding Ozpin sprinkling chives on to a pair of fresh omelettes… he sniffed… mushroom omelettes. At the table was a laptop and Ozpin turned to see Qrow and smiled. "Good morning. Again."

"Hey, Oz. What's got you so perky?"

"I believe I have a solution."

"You prancing around making breakfast like a housewife and using arousal as a distraction is a solution?" Qrow offered flatly even as his mouth twitched.

"Ah, you saw through that distraction?"

"You had me worked up enough I needed to jack off in the shower. You were very insistent on the shower. And working me up enough that I needed that shower."

Ozpin's eyes glittered gold. "It seems my attempts at seduction are lacking."

"Oh, fucking you doesn't need much seduction, Oz," Qrow replied, sitting at the table. "You're a _walking_ seduction."

Oz blushed. "Regardless, I have a small presentation I wanted to make and you interrupted."

Qrow gave a flat look. "You successfully got my attention this morning."

Ozpin ignored the look and gestured to the laptop, sitting beside Qrow with a small sigh at not having to hunch over any more. "I was considering your predicament last night."

Qrow grimaced before he even had a bite of his omelette. "Don't remind me. I need to look at temp agencies today."

"Perhaps not," Ozpin said. "I know you didn't care for the hours you worked, so this is an opportunity for you to find a job with better hours and more consistency. I had some thoughts and I awoke early to do some research."

"You found me a job?"

"I found you a path," Ozpin replied. He pulled up some websites. "I've watched you teaching Ruby and Yang, and also Oscar. I think you'd make an excellent teacher."

Qrow blinked.

"You already have your bachelor's degree, so that takes care of part of the requirements. You are particularly accomplished in physics and mathematics," Ozpin clicked on a link, "and there are shortages of math teachers across the country." He turned with a smile. "You could get a durational shortage area permit, get a teaching job, and then work on the requirements for certification. It would require you to enroll into a program to get your certification, but I believe you could handle that."

"You want me to teach?"

Ozpin gave a soft smile. "I want you to be happy. But I think you could be happy as a teacher. Signal is looking for math teachers, quite a few. It looks like several in their department have been retiring. They're desperate. I could write a letter of recommendation as well…"

"A teacher?" Qrow shook his head. "I'm a no good drunk. I might as well have a criminal record. There's no way any school would hire me."

"I'd argue there's no one better to be a teacher," Oz said softly. "You've survived difficult life experiences and came out a dedicated family man, keen advisor, and are wise. Who better to teach disaffected teenagers who speak sarcasm and cynicism than one like you?"

"This is… wow…"

Oz got up with his too-short cane. "Think about it. Do the reading. I still need to get to my morning classes for the summer session."

Qrow reached out to grab a wrist. Ozpin turned and Qrow stood to drag Oz further down to a searing kiss. Because Ozpin _cared_. Ozpin was treating this like a problem for _them_ and not just Qrow. Shit, they weren't even living together and Ozpin was acting like they'd been together for years.

Qrow loved this man.

Ozpin hummed. "Don't thank me unless it works. Don't decide till you've done more research of your own. But I think this will let you have proper sleeping hours, match your strengths, and still challenge you. It will take a _lot_ of work to get your temporary certification, start enrollment for an _actual_ certification, any job won't start till the end of August…"

"Don't care," Qrow said, kissing Ozpin again. "You've given me options. That's more than I had last night. Hell, that's more than I had this morning when I woke up."

"I do try."

Qrow smiled.

* * *

About a week later, Ozpin woke slowly on Qrow's chest. It was the weekend and Qrow had come over "for peace and quiet to study this shit", which Ozpin took to mean that his nieces were being pests. Having been together since New Years, Qrow regularly spent the night over, so much so that Ozpin smiled. To think that he'd worried about waking up with someone next to him. While it had seemed so valid at the time, it couldn't be the furthest from reality. He nuzzled closer to Qrow, feeling that strength, and Qrow sleepily tightened his grip. Qrow was still worried about his lack of job, and was following Ozpin's suggestions of teaching after doing his own research. He was stressed as he had given Tai most of his severance pay before dropping the bomb about losing his job.

Tai of course, had tried to return it to no avail. Qrow was determinedly stubborn sometimes. But that did leave the summer with very little money. He hadn't talked about it much, but Ozpin had seen Qrow going through his checkbook earlier in the day to try and figure out how to make the money stretch another month. Ozpin had thought the answer obvious, but Qrow hadn't seemed to think of it yet.

So Ozpin settled himself on Qrow's chest and just admired him in the filtered light peaking through the light-dimming shades for the summer morning. Absently, he traced a finger in circles along Qrow's chest, observed the morning scruff along his chin, the way the gray streaks seemed to blend in in the shadows, making Qrow look younger, especially without the crinkle at his eyes in the true rest of sleep.

He loved this man. He loved him so much. He gave a contended hum just watching.

Qrow blinked blearily and those wine colored eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light.

Ozpin may have hummed again.

"...Oz…?" Qrow asked sleepily, finally taking a deep breath. He looked more fully. "Pretty sight for first thing…" he said thickly, still half asleep.

Ozpin chuckled, scooted up, and kissed him.

"Mmm," Qrow sounded more awake. "You plan on getting me going?"

"Just trying to awaken you."

"You're succeeding," Qrow grumbled. "It's too early." A hand traced along Ozpin's back and Ozpin smiled.

"Can you process anything?" Ozpin said lightly.

"With coffee, maybe."

Ozpin hummed.

" _Fuck_ , Oz, you know what humming does to me."

"Move in with us."

Qrow blinked, looking far more awake. "What?"

Ozpin looked down, still tracing a finger along Qrow's chest. "You can't make what you've saved last through the summer. I love you with all my heart. You love me. Oscar's far more comfortable with you and actually smiles when you come over." Ozpin stopped making circles and reached out to run a hand along the side of Qrow's face, scratch with stubble. "I believe the solution is obvious. Don't spend rent on your apartment, move in with us. We both know we would eventua-mmmmmph!"

Qrow kissed him soundly, hands running through his hair to pull their faces as close as possible and Ozpin let out a low hum.

When Qrow finally let go Ozpin was almost light-headed and desperate to catch his breath. After a moment, he finally focused on Qrow. "I take it, that's a yes?"

" _Fuck_ yes," Qrow replied. "Sweet _fuck_ , I'm going to fuck you into the mattress."

Ozpin hummed, smiling. "You'll be doing laundry again."

"Don't _fucking_ care. You are just too damn much."

Well, Ozpin reflected as they carefully flipped and Ozpin was on his back, laughing as Qrow's hands started to wander, that was a better reaction than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! We won't be near a computer on Saturday so hear's a chapter early!
> 
> Somewhere in here is a deleted fifteen pages where the official relationship upgrade happens. We talked about it in some comment responses, but our students have occasionally found our social media spaces even though we keep them pretty hidden, and as improbable as it is we don't want teens to read lemons from us and go complaining to admin. A lot happened in those fifteen pages, but for the purposes of the fic:
> 
> One: Oz tends to hum when he feels good. This does ALL THE THINGS to Qrow.
> 
> Two: Oz doesn't get it, but talking dirty also does ALL THE THINGS to Qrow, so he tries to make a sentence or two.
> 
> Three: Qrow is very meticulous in finding all of Oz's sensitive spots and worshipping all corners of his lover. His mouth is very talented.
> 
> Other stuff happens but these points may or may not be referenced in the fic. In the meantime, we get a nice, mostly fluffy transition chapter as we start working back to other arcs that have been on the back burner. Yang's arc hits her second phase, poor thing - and we yet again nod to the bumblebees out there.
> 
> Oscar has finally accepted that Qrow can and will come to the rescue when he's needed (literally) and that he'll do what he has to to keep Oz safe, so that half of his arc is now closed and he can focus on actually getting to know Qrow in a way unique to them.
> 
> Also, Qrow's luck hits him in the job. We never had the chance to really get into it, but we figured him to be in some kind of manufacturing job - one of us works in a tech school - and of course the two of us were going to transition him to being a teacher. Gotta represent our field, y'know?
> 
> And yeah; Salem's been lurking in the background this whole time, very insistent in learning where Oz is. And yeah, we also have a folder dedicated to emails and voicemails in case legal action ever needs to be required. Poor guy.
> 
> Next chapter: more bumblebee fluff, and Oscar/Qrow fluff - we did mention wildly switching from drama to fluff right?
> 
> Also, holy god ep2 of Volume 8. We are terrified, utterly terrified, for Oscar. Ep 3 can't come out soon enough...


	23. Chapter 23

After the Fourth, Blake and her friends were at the mall, walking and talking more than any real shopping. Weiss had offered to get them anything they needed, hearing that Mr. Qrow had lost his job and that money would be tight for a while. Ruby and Yang refused, and Blake was in no financial straits, but the weight of it kept them from making purchases. Instead, Weiss informed them of the latest details of the custody battle and the general suing of her father. There hadn't been as many protests with her parents - now that things were being handled legally there was less for them to do, but all the adults agreed the best thing possible would be for Jacques Schnee to be arrested for… something. Anything.

"Can't we just make something up?" Yang asked.

"Not and have it stick with the litany of lawyers my father has at his disposal," Weiss said. "Besides, we shouldn't _need_ to make anything up."

"Then can't we _use_ the real stuff?" Ruby asked. "Isn't it against the law to abuse your kids or something?"

"I asked Winter about that, of course, but parental neglect would be the most easily proven charge and Father has seen to my physical needs quite well. It would be easier to declare him incompetent-"

"Which he is."

"-which he _is,_ " Weiss repeated, giving a flat glare to Yang, "but again, he has more than seen to my physical needs."

"But what about the company?" Blake asked. "The class action lawsuit had hundreds of signatures."

"That he can settle out of court provided there's a nondisclosure agreement," Weiss said, sighing. "We're even looking into tax evasion - right now that might be the best strategy, but subpoenaing tax returns is - Winter had a word for it, but I got the impression it was difficult."

"Don't worry," Ruby said brightly, leaning into Weiss as they walked. "We'll think of something."

"Thank you for the kind words," Weiss said, her voice gentle.

The two walked further ahead, as they usually did, and Yang hung back with Blake. She looked at her friend's arm, the faint scarring from the… assault… She pulled at her cat ear headband, looking away. She wondered if the guilt would ever go away.

But… then… there was that day at the professor's house, when the air had gotten so… intense. She was confused, uncertain what had happened. She shook the memory off (again), trying to stay in the moment, like her counselor told her.

They made a few extra circuits around the mall before stopping at the play area, a dozen toddlers screaming in delight as they climbed playground logs and baby animals, hopscotching over a painted river while the parents rested. The four of them crowded into one corner, Weiss disappearing briefly before coming back with four ice cream cones. Ruby was ecstatic, she always was for desert, and Yang laughed as they dug in. Weiss pulled out her phone and handed one of her bluetooth ear pieces to Ruby. Blake smiled at the scene: the epitome of best friends, and she leaned against Yang and curled her feet up, sandals on the floor.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," Yang said, quickly pulling out her phone. "You'd wanted to come over the week after school ended, but I wanted to show you." She opened up her photos. "June is Pride month, did you know?"

"No," Blake said. "Is that why my feed was full of rainbows?"

"Yeah, Uncle Qrow, he always drags us to the big parade they do in Boston. "They've been doing it since college since both Uncle Qrow and my mom are bi. Dad comes, too, proud to be the A in the spectrum, being an ally and all. But Professor Ozpin said that A actually stood for something else, and then Uncle Qrow invited them. Look."

Yang pulled her thumb away from her phone, and Blake saw a sunny blue sky with equally blue skyscrapers as the backdrop of Mr. Qrow, shirtless and with blue, pink, and purple painted on his chest, smiling and giving a gesture to the camera. One arm was wrapped around the professor, white hair standing out in the crowd, in one of his summer suits, smiling gently.

"Cute couple," Blake said, eyes tracing over the pair. Yang swiped and the next picture was Ruby and Mr. Tai, each holding flags of different color combinations and waving them fiercely. Next to them was Mr. Qrow, pointing and making some kind of face - probably teasing. The next picture was Oscar holding up one flag: purple, grey, black and white; frowning like he wasn't sure he was doing it right.

"He's cute," Yang said. "He's not used to the whole LGBT thing, I guess Professor Ozpin was in the closet for a long time. Here, look. There's me!"

And the next picture was Yang, face bright and smiling, stripes painted on her cheeks: shades of orange and purple.

"Do the flags mean anything?" Blake asked. "Everyone has different colors."

"Yeah, the rainbow is the umbrella for all of us, but actually it's just for the gays - the men who like men. Each letter gets their own flag. Figured I'd rep the girls with their colors. Here, here, there's the parade!"

Blake watched the pictures in interest, but she also saw how quickly Yang went pink and changed the pictures: the swell of people, the flags, the colors, the kissing. "It looks really exciting," she said.

"It always is. You should come with us next year. The more allies the better."

Blake shifted slightly, intrigued by… something going on inside her. She shifted her weight, put her arm around Yang to see the pictures better, but also so she could be closer to her. Her eyes drifted after a while, people watching. She saw two teens, maybe a couple years older than her, walking by hand in hand. Boy and girl, exactly like it was supposed to be. Blake studied, and realized she thought both of them were a little hot. That confused her, because she thought she was only supposed to notice the boy. Actually, the girl was hotter, fuller lips, darker skin… Blake blushed, realizing her thoughts and wondering what was wrong with her.

Yang was hot, too. Blake had always thought that even back when they met in middle school. She was tall, athletic, hair for _miles_ and so _soft_. She had thought it was just appreciating a friend's beauty. Adam was hot, too - strong and fiery and so _dark_. Her heart was conflicted, and she couldn't understand how she could like both.

The professor had pointed out that things like this took time, and things like this didn't need to be rushed. But Blake had questions, and she didn't _dare_ talk to her parents, she was afraid of what they'd say. She had thought about talking to the professor, but he was private, in a way. Even the pictures: he was in a summer suit, not "out and proud." He was safer to talk to, but she wasn't sure he could - not without embarrassing himself. Mr. Qrow… she pursed her lips. He was different - out and proud - but a self-admitted disaster, and she wasn't sure…

"Oh," she said, straightening. "I forgot, I needed to tell Mr. Qrow about some of the resources my dad has access to." She turned to Yang. "I'm gonna disappear for a second."

"Sure," Yang said, still red in the face. "Take your time."

Blake put her sandals back on and backtracked to the eatery. Sure enough, Professor Ozpin and Mr. Qrow were there, side by side, talking quietly.

"Don't tell me you lost them," Mr. Qrow said brightly as she walked up. "They're easy to spot, just put those cat ears of yours out for the loudest squeal. That'd be Ruby walking by the comic shop."

"No, that's not it," Blake said, running her fingers through her hair. "Uhm, is it okay if I talk to you? Alone?" The words came out in a rush, Blake was afraid she would chicken out.

The two looked at each other, but Mr. Qrow shrugged his shoulders and stood. Blake led him to the far side of the eatery, sitting at an empty table in the corner of the space. Mr. Qrow looked suspicious, but he sat across from her, and Blake took a breath… and immediately couldn't decide on a word. She bit her lip, looking down, pressed her hands together under the table, and tried again. All she could manage was an uncertain, "Uh…" Anxiety was starting to build in her - not the fear she had at school for someone knowing what happened to her and judging her, but the worry that she wouldn't be able to word it right, that Mr. Qrow would get the wrong impression. She shook her head, trying to fight it off, knowing it would make it worse.

"W-what…" she said. She growled, frustrated with herself, but Mr. Qrow just sat and looked, didn't say anything, with his arms crossed and his face neutral. "What…" Blake huffed, mad at herself. "Wh-what does it mean to be… be… be bisexual?"

The words came out in an ugly rush, and her face turned instantly red and her eyes moved immediately down to the table. The silence started to pile up, and Blake shifted in her chair. "Y-you always call yourself a bisexual disaster. What does it mean to… How did you know you were…"

Mr. Qrow swore, a curse bad enough that she looked up, saw him rubbing his stubble and leaning back in his chair. "You know I'm probably the worst person to ask about this kind of stuff, right?" he asked. "You're dad's some kind of community organizer, isn't he? You gotta know some kind of group or something to help you with this kind of shit."

Blake shook her head. She'd been afraid to ask, afraid it would get back to her dad, afraid of what he'd say.

Mr. Qrow took a long breath through his nose. "You tell anyone yet?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know if it's really me or not," she said.

"Questioning, then?"

"I guess…"

Mr. Qrow nodded. "I'm still the worst guy for this, but okay. How much they teach you in sex ed?"

"Just that LGBT exists," Blake said. "We got into it in middle school, I think, but I didn't think that was me, because I was dating…" She shook her head again. "But since last year I've noticed… and I don't know what to think. I mean… my counselor says Adam was… it was all traumatizing. Is this because I'm damaged?"

"Get that thought out of your head right now," Mr. Qrow said, his voice a little loud. "That was me the first four years before I figured out I really was bi, and then I had to screw up the courage to tell my sister. You are what you are now. The before and the after doesn't count worth shit."

She winced at the swear but took the meaning to heart. "Is it something that changes, then?" she asked.

"Hell no," Mr. Qrow said, giving a gusty sigh. "Look, it's like this… Jesus, how do I explain this…?"

Blake wanted to sink into the floor, embarrassed she was causing someone this much discomfort. She squirmed, looking down again.

"Okay you're not just straight, gay, or bi - you can be somewhere in between. I'm bi, but I lean pretty gay. When I was younger I wanted just about anything that moved if they were hot, and I _did_ just about anything that moved, too. I was young and stupid and did a lot of stupid stuff to hide how screwed up I was. I did a lot of growing up the hard way, you can't look to me for all that much _good_ advice."

"That's what I don't understand," Blake said. "How do I know if it's good or bad advice? I thought Adam… I thought I was getting good advice, and it turned out to be anything but good."

"That's different," Mr. Qrow said, "and has nothing to do with you being bi or questioning or somewhere in the middle. You had the hots for the bastard, fine. Have you had the hots for a girl?"

Yang, sitting on Professor Ozpin's front porch, a few weeks before school ended. "... yes," she admitted.

"Then for now you're bi. If you find out later you're a lesbian, then that's fine too. If you decide later you're still bi, but lean straight, then who the hell cares? The labels aren't there to define you, they're there to describe you. I went through a lot of labels before I figured out which ones were me. Oz over there uses a metric ton of labels to describe himself if you ask him - and he uses like three different scales; it's insane, but he likes it because he feels it's right. That's the biggest thing: it has to be right for you. You can't let anyone tell you 'you gotta be this' or 'you gotta be that' or 'you can't be this.' That's outside noise for now and isn't worth the breath it's wasted on. It's gotta come from the inside."

"Okay, but… when will I know for sure?"

"The hell if I know," Mr. Qrow said, leaning forward onto the table. "You'll know when you know. Don't expect to wake up one morning and say, 'yep, I figured it all out.' I got grey in my hair and sometimes I still wonder if I'm gay and not bi. Then a hot waitress walks by and I remember that I never changed."

"So you still notice? Even with Professor Ozpin?"

"Notice? Yeah, but care? No. Not when you're with someone special."

That was sweet, and Blake smiled in spite of herself. She felt more comfortable. "How does… what does the physical stuff… how does that work?"

Mr. Qrow swore again, scratching at the back of his head and leaning back. "I figure we save that for when you're older. You're still a freshman."

"Sophomore, technically."

"School hasn't started up again yet. Nice try." He paused, frowning. "Look, feel what you gotta feel, explore when you feel strong enough you think you're gonna go nuts - but do it with someone who's safe, keep protection on you all the time and just… let the rest work itself out. I'm really not the best guy to tell you how to do this."

"... then… when did you know you were in love?"

"Jesus… ask your parents that one. Or one of the professor's philosophy books. They write freakin's songs about it, and you forget I'm a disaster."

"... You never seem like much of a disaster," Blake said softly. "I always thought you were pretty put together."

"Yeah? Well, it's easy to look put together in front of kids - you guys expect us to be and we can fake it pretty easily. You're not old enough yet for some of my _real_ disaster stories - even Yang and Ruby don't know all of it - but don't think my cool-rough-and-tumble-uncle act was something I always was able to do. That Yang _can_ tell you about; she's old enough to remember. Anything else?"

"... can I talk to you when… when I need to?"

Mr. Qrow winced. "I'm not gonna say no, but look for somebody better in the meantime. Your parents are your best bet."

" _Absolutely not_ ," Blake said, shaking her head and vehement. "I've put them through too much. I can't… I already have a counselor and they…"

"Then talk to the counselor. Tai will tell anyone who'll listen: you learn a lot in therapy, and that includes stuff about yourself. My sponsor Clover did more for me in six months than two years of me being drunk could throw together. And those aren't stories I'll _ever_ share." He stood, and Blake followed suit.

"Thank you, Mr. Qrow," she said.

"Just Qrow is fine," Mr.-Qrow said, waving a hand. "You guys are getting old enough where it's almost okay."

Blake followed Qrow back to Professor Ozpin, watching him lean down to kiss his boyfriend before leaving the eatery and finding Yang and the others. They were still with the kids, Ruby and Weiss arguing over something, and Blake took her spot next to Yang, yet again pulling off her sandals and curling into her close friend.

"You tell Uncle Qrow everything you needed?"

"Yeah," Blake said, smiling. "And he told me a few things, too."

* * *

Oscar wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a breath. He was in the garage with Qrow in an attempt to stay out of the searing August heat. Before Qrow had lost his job, once Oscar's dad was off to teach the summer classes, Qrow had come to him about repairing his dad's cane. The one he was currently using was four inches too short and it showed, with how his dad hunched. Initially the idea had been to simply find a good hard wood, paint it and apply the decorative ornaments. But Oscar had suggested a retractable cane like the vision impaired would use. After all, Oscar knew people who weren't as aware could trip over the cane, if his dad leaned it against something because he'd be sitting for a while. His dad even made a habit of holding the cane when not sitting to avoid such accidents.

Qrow had latched onto the idea and while Oscar's dad was at work, they looked up designs and all kinds of math for durability and how to test if a design could hold weight when it needed to be hollow. They had first experimented with the materials around and Qrow had eventually dragged him over to the Xiao Long house where the garage had all kinds of tools. Qrow had taken the metal ornaments and cleaned and polished them to a silvery shine. Once they had found a design that worked, it was about finding a good material. The home improvement store had a wide array of metal cylinders, but finding the right circumference and thickness was difficult. Aluminum was light, but dented too easily. Copper wouldn't come wide enough, steel was too heavy, pvc piping didn't cut easily, and everything came in standard sizes that didn't match with the diameter of the cane or that it tapered ever so slightly. It wasn't like they had access to a complete shop to machine what they needed.

They had spent the better part of the summer at the home improvement store, going through the plumbing section first, buying small samples to play with before going back the next day to try some more.

"It's too customized," Qrow growled, "because that handle has to be, what, a hundred years old?"

Oscar shrugged. "Don't know," he said. "Dad inherited a lot of things from the family when Grandpa died. Mom loved having all the antiques everywhere in the house. She said it made everything look rich. We had a Steinway piano that was about a hundred years old. I kinda remember Dad playing when I was a toddler. He left it all behind when we came here. All he took were some photo albums and books and his cane. In the pictures you can see all kinds of old things. An Ansonia clock from the 1890s, a hope chest with a sulfur inlay that Dad said was two hundred years old... Dad had a lot of history that he inherited and he knew all the stories." Oscar looked down another aisle. "Can we work with wood?"

Qrow scowled. "I was hoping not to. I don't work with wood very often. Come on, let's look at the lumber. Pressure treated might be best in case your dad gets caught in a storm, but a good coat of polyurethane would probably be better on a hardwood. A good hardwood can take a lot of scuffing and abuse and not show any real damage."

So they'd bought a four by four and cut it to chunks to work with and spent another three days going through all those chunks to get the pattern and fitting they were doing right.

"Measure twice, cut once, Oscar."

Covered in sawdust and sneezing, Oscar could only nod.

By the end of July, they had all the pieces and they could interlock easily to both lock straight and lock collapsed. They had fixed a temporary pommel and were whacking it around to test durability when Qrow swore.

"What?" Oscar asked, taking their design and examining it. "Did something break?"

"No, but we aren't thinking."

"What?" Oscar gave a flat look.

"You're dad once said he had a bad arm as well as a bad leg?"

"Yeah. It's not that noticeable so why...oh." Oscar looked at the design and scowled at it. It was designed to be a tight fit so that it locked into place easily, but that meant it took effort to twist and extend it or twist and collapse it. Yeah, his dad would could do it now, but Oscar wanted this cane to _last_. As his dad got older, would he be able to? When he was in his seventies or eighties?

"What about a click pen?" Oscar asked.

"A what?"

Oscar grabbed the pen they'd been using to mark the wood for cutting down and clicked it so that the ballpoint was out then in then out then in. "Like this?"

Qrow stared at it, then smiled. "Wanna break it apart and see how it works?"

That brought another two days at the store, looking at springs and gears.

"We can't have the button for this so low," Oscar said. "It's below the handle."

Qrow looked at him seriously. "We'd have to modify the handle. That's a hundred years old, right?"

Oscar froze as he realized what Qrow was essentially asking. He was asking for Oscar's permission to modify something that his dad held dear. He hesitated, but thinking of his dad hunching with that cane that was four inches too short was enough for Oscar. "We'll do it."

Qrow nodded solemnly.

More designs and fails later, they ended with adding more to the handle, both a sort of knuckle guard that was actually the lever for extending or retracting, and at the base of the pommel the necessary gears to embed the mechanism. Qrow welded and polished it all back to the silvery shine and Oscar screwed on the metal base they'd made to avoid the ground wearing away at the wood. The spring was threaded, the expanded handle screwed on, and Qrow handed it to Oscar. "You try it out first."

Smiling, Oscar clicked the knuckle guard and watched the cane extend out to the proper length. Clicking the knuckle guard again had it retracting. It had some heft but it wasn't impossibly heavy and it worked perfectly. "It's perfect."

Qrow smiled, and rubbed sweaty sawdust from his face. "We're heading home, taking a goddamn shower, and then you have to tell me how we're going to give it to your Dad."

* * *

In the end, Oscar didn't really have a set plan on how to deliver it. He'd been so focused all summer on just _making_ it that the delivery hadn't really occurred to him. He kept it upstairs in his room for the moment and was setting up to make dinner when Qrow finally came out of the shower, in jeans and shirtless, running a towel through his hair.

"Qrow…" Oscar admonished. "Do you have to be half naked?"

Qrow shrugged. "I tend to be shirtless at home in the summer. I've moved in. It's another thing for you to get used to. Besides, the house is too stuffy. Did the air conditioner break again?"

Oscar shook his head. "No. It just takes a while to cool off. We were at Mr. Tai's all day."

Qrow nodded. He was about to say something when they heard the garage door.

"Dad's home!"

"You want to give him the cane tonight?"

Oscar nodded and raced up to his room to get it. His dad was sitting in his usual chair and Qrow was massaging the bad leg. The too-short cane was, Oscar noted, out of his dad's reach and he buried his smirk.

"Thank you, Qrow," his dad said softly, eyes closed as he let the massage relax him.

"Rough day, Oz?"

His dad let out a low hum. "Just one student. Stubbornly said that I didn't grade his paper fairly. I told him to take it up with the department head, but he made a scene."

Oscar came over, the cane hidden in the small of his back. "Hey, Dad."

As always, his dad gave a bright smile at seeing him. "Oscar," he grinned. "You and Qrow have both showered. I take it the two of you had a busy day again?"

"Yup!" Oscar moved behind his dad to the kitchen to finish getting dinner going. He silently placed the new cane on his dad's plate. Qrow saw from where he was still massaging and gave a grin and a wink. Qrow kept getting his dad to talk about his day while Oscar cooked and then Oscar brought the plates over.

"Ah, we're eating around the coffee table?" his dad asked. "That's a rare treat. Is there an occasion I missed?"

And Oscar set down his dad's plate with the new retracted cane.

Silence. Open shock. "What?"

"It was Oscar's idea," Qrow said.

But Oscar took the cane and clicked the knuckle guard, letting the cane extend. His dad's mouth dropped and Oscar, smiling brightly, clicked again to let it retract.

"Oh," his dad said softly, then reached out and Oscar obediently came over for the hug. He was crushed into the embrace and Oscar may have been smiling like and idiot, and his father may have been euphoric, and there may have been a lot of hugs and kisses passed around. Oscar may have felt really proud. A few tears of joy may have been shed.

But all around…

Oscar considered everything a success.

* * *

Two weeks at school was all it took to drive Yang nuts: it was like every girl on the planet decided to get hot over the summer - she remembered Pyrrha as this tiny little redhead in middle school but now that she was a freshman she was tall and lean and the first time Yang saw her in gym class she was so red she thought she'd suffer heat stroke. Nora suddenly had a chest and hips, and Blake must have gone up two cup sizes or something - and she was _with_ her for half the summer! Shiny lip gloss made her blush and thick hair made her fingers twitch. She tried to play it off, but the only guy who was kind of hot was Ren, and that was because he looked like a girl with his long tresses of black hair and the stylish pink streak.

When she saw Velvet, one of the upperclassmen, walking by during lunch and _jiggling_ , she had to admit the truth.

When she got home she asked Dad to call a family meeting, that there was something she needed to say. Dad looked at her, confused, but Ruby was smiling. Yang hid in their room, waiting for Uncle Qrow to show up, but Ruby came in and sat next to her.

"Can I guess?" she said, "Can I guess?"

"Uh, sure?"

"You're about to come out."

"Wha…?" Yang stared at her sister, surprised. "You know?"

"Well, yeah."

Yang shook her head. "Are you bothered by it?" she asked.

"Why?" Ruby countered, leaning in with a smile. "Uncle Qrow is a Bi-Disaster, remember? He's talked about dating all kinds of people, so this is nothing new."

And… Yang smiled, reaching out to rub her knuckles into Ruby's hair. "That's my favorite sister!" she said, giggling.

"Ow! Hey! No fair!"

They laughed, and it wasn't long before Uncle Qrow came with Professor Ozpin and Oscar in tow.

"Wait, them, too?" Yang asked.

Qrow leveled a flat look. "Yeah," he said. "You said a family meeting. They're family. Don't tell me you suddenly stopped shipping us?"

Yang made a face. "It hurts to hear you say stuff like that," she said. "You're too _old_."

"I suppose by that logic I must have one foot in the grave," Professor Ozpin said lightly as he sat down and put his leg up.

"I'm still confused on what a family meeting is," Oscar said. "I've never had one before."

"Yes you have; when we get ice cream."

Oscar's eyes widened, and he sat much straighter. "How bad?" he asked, suddenly so serious.

Dad sat on his side of the couch, Uncle Qrow next to the professor. Ruby stood behind the couch, and behind the adults she gave a pair of encouraging thumbs up.

Nerves suddenly overtook Yang, and she found herself shifting on her feet, trying to find the right words. "It's just…" She took a breath, and dove in with both feet. "I'm a lesbian," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Oscar was the only one who looked shocked, eyes doubling in size and looking to his dad for some kind of response. Ruby hopped on her feet and Qrow just crossed a leg. "Is that all?" he asked, bored. "I coulda told you that back in sixth grade," he said.

"Shut up, this is big for her," Dad said. He got up and smiled, warm and pulling her to a hug. "We love you so much! My sunny dragon!"

"Wait… that's it?" Yang asked. "You're not…"

"Not what?" Uncle Qrow asked. "Did you seriously think we were gonna disapprove or something? You forget I'm a Bi-Disaster? Or the annual Pride Parade?"

"No!" Yang said, still being squeezed by her dad. "But this isn't exactly easy you know! Do you have any idea how long I've been struggling with this?"

"Not half as long as we've been waiting," Uncle Qrow said smoothly.

"Ugh, you are so frustrating!"

"I think you mean to say, 'so welcoming,'" Uncle Qrow prompted.

"Shh, Qrow, let her have her moment," Professor Ozpin said. He turned and smiled. "We're very proud you felt comfortable to come out so soon and to so many at once. It's not an easy task, and we respect the courage you've just demonstrated."

"Yeah," Dad said, finally pulling back, wide smile on his face. "You have a lot ahead of you, but you'll always be safe here, and all we want is for you to be happy." He hugged her again, lifting her slightly off the ground. "We gotta celebrate! We'll throw a party this weekend - hey we can invite all the girls!"

" _Dad_ ," Yang hissed, horrified. "Don't to _that_!"

"Oh," he said, finally letting her go. "You already got a girlfriend?"

" _Oh my god_ what's wrong with both of you!" Yang said, hands flying to her face. "I only just came out to you!"

"I suspect this implies that we are the only ones she is out to," Professor Ozpin suggested, "and isn't yet comfortable announcing it to the world."

"Oh, sweetie! You chose us first! I'm so happy!"

"Wait, I'm confused," Oscar said, raising his hand like they were in class. "Why is this even a big deal? I mean, I'm surprised and all, but, but why was Yang so stressed?"

The adults stared at Oscar for a second, and Yang squirmed a little bit, because she knew the stories. Ruby seemed to understand, too, but then the professor wrapped an arm around his son.

"You're absolutely right," he said, "It shouldn't be a big deal; you are wise beyond your years, Oscar."

"Okay, I got the delivery numbers, who wants Thai?"

"Tai ordering Thai? Didn't know you were that into yourself."

"Qrow, I'm still the token straight guy here, be nice."

"Wait, why just Mr. Tai - what does that mean about Ruby? Wait, what does that mean about _me_? Do you guys know something I don't?"

Uncle Qrow burst out laughing, the professor hiding his grin, but Dad was dialing and Yang felt so much better. "Okay," she explained, "Kids are off limits because we're not actually aware of what we are on the spectrum yet. As far as anyone knows, you and Ruby are still Qs, Questioning."

"Huh? I thought the Q meant queer…?"

"We took you to a Pride Parade, how do you not know any of this?"

"Look, I'm still pretty new to this…"

"Imagine being a new lesbian, then," Yang said, ruffling his hair. "Everyone around me is so hot I don't know what to do."

"On the up side we won't have to pay for birth control," Dad said brightly, making Yang turn bright red, "But we should still make sure you start carrying protection." Then he paused, a thought occurring to him. "Yang Xiao Long! You're still fifteen! You're not dating anyone for another year!"

" _Dad, seriously_ , what the hell! I finally decide to come out and you're already patrolling my nonexistent love life?"

"I'm your father," he said sternly. "I only want what's best for you, and that means no dating until you're sixteen. Some hussy might take advantage of my beautiful little girl."

"That's assuming she doesn't hook up with Blake first," Uncle Qrow said, making Yang turn even redder. "See that face? I want all of you to know I predicted it, and I am going to rub your face in it."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby protested. "We didn't rub _your_ face when we told you about Professor Ozpin!"

"That's 'cause you're kids. Adults have executive privilege - especially family - to tease teenagers."

"Wait, do they really?"

"It's news to me, Oscar," the professor said lightly, "but it would appear that I have several years of backlog to make up for. I wonder, where should I start with teasing? You've presented so many opportunities…"

" _Dad…_ "

"Yang, you don't know you have a crush on Blake?"

" _Ruby!_ "

"Okay, delivery will be here in forty minutes," Dad said, getting off the phone. "Now that that's settled, we get to embarrass you. Do you have a type yet?"

" _What is wrong with this family?_ "

"I've been asking that ever since I confessed my interest to Qrow, Miss Xiao Long; I've yet to find an answer."

"You are _no_ help."

"I fear that in these circumstances, I'm not supposed to be. Instead I shall refrain from comment."

Uncle Qrow turned to the professor. "You don't want in on the action, Oz?"

"No, no, please, do continue. I believe being a spectator will be sufficiently entertaining. Oscar, too."

"I still don't get why this is such a big deal," Oscar said, turning to his dad, " _You_ coming out, I understood."

"Move over, Oscar, I'm sitting next to you to watch the show. Hey, maybe we should get popcorn!"

"Ruby, you too?"

"Don't worry Yang," her traitorous sister said brightly. "Once I know what I am I give you permission to tease me just as badly."

"You're all _evil!_ "

"Still haven't told us your type, firecracker."

Yang covered her face and admitted defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaa the fluff! We're actually spinning up some arcs, Blake and Yang's respective second halves of their arcs interact with each other and so their plates tend to spin together. Qrow gets to interact with someone who isn't Oz or family, and we pretend we know anything about being bi - we don't, but we tried to be as accurate as wikipedia would allow us. Like with Oz when we talked about him being demi, if anyone out there is bi and finds a mistake in Qrow's advice, let us know so we can improve as authors in future fics.
> 
> We also find an activity Qrow and Oscar can do together to bond: fix Oz's cane so it looks like it does in the show. Now that Oscar's accepted Qrow this kind of project comes more readily, and we get to touch on Oz's age by referencing that he had a lot of heirlooms and antiques that were left behind after his and Oscar's escape.
> 
> And we made Yang's coming out story as fluffy and funny as possible. Several students have told us that coming out is really stressful, and since this fic is self-indulgence first we wanted a moment of stress to instead be as happy and positive as we could. God knows we're doing enough to all these poor characters that they deserve all the fluff we can give them.
> 
> Hope everyone had a happy and most importantly SAFE Thanksgiving!
> 
> Next chapter: Blake and the Phantom Drama. It's a heavy hitter, guys...


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter has VULGAR LANGUAGE towards women and LGBTQ+.
> 
> Seriously disgusting language. CONTENT WARNING as a result. TRIGGER WARNING probably need as well, given the context.
> 
> PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Blake felt pretty confident. Well, relatively speaking.

She still wasn't nearly as confident as she used to be, but a year after… _it_ happened, and she felt comfortable. She was seeing the crisis counselor less and less, she was smiling more; her nightmares still happened, but they were less frequent. She was getting comfortable with her body again - not just being in it but what it liked. This year there were two classes where she didn't have her friends, but she didn't enter a panic, she didn't skip class, she just sat in her seat and took her notes. People called her "cat girl" because of all her headbands, and she was maybe starting to like it.

Nora and Ren were in her study hall and pulled their desks over to get help with homework. Nora of course carried the entire conversation, Ren shaking his head and lifting his shoulders, but Blake answered her questions and for a while it was like old times in middle school, during lunch, when the eight of them were all together.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen.

_You know what you did._

She frowned, looked at the number, but it wasn't one she recognized. She shrugged and put her phone down. Wrong text.

At lunch she sat with her friends and Oscar, and her phone buzzed again: _Do you have any idea what you did to me?_

Blake sighed, and typed out a reply: _sry I dont know u. Wrong nmber_.

An immediate response: _Yes you do._

"Guys," Blake said, turning her phone around, "Do any of you know this number?"

Ruby and Yang leaned in immediately, frowning, before Weiss took the phone to stare at it, Oscar leaning over to read the texts.

"Not a number I know," Weiss said, "but let me go through my contacts first." She pulled out her phone. "I don't recognize the area code though…"

"Looks a little skeevy," Yang said, leaning back.

"Looks a little mad," Ruby said, munching on her sandwich. "That's what's confusing. Blake is probably the nicest person at this table."

"You're pretty nice," Blake said, shaking her head.

"But I'm also pretty annoying," Ruby countered, nodding sagely. "It's the price you pay for skipping a year of school - but I get cookies so it doesn't bother me."

"So, the number isn't on any of my contact lists," Weiss said. "And I just googled the area code. I'm not an expert, but I think this is a burner phone."

"That's even _more_ skeevy," Yang said, shuddering. "Block the number."

"Yeah, this is starting to sound suspicious," Oscar said softly.

"Okay," Blake said, taking the phone back from Weiss. It buzzed just as she took it, and she looked at the new message.

_Send me a picture or this goes out to the whole school._

And attached to the message was a picture of Blake, stretched out on a bed and in the bra that… that…

She dropped her phone, staggering to her feet. She ran to the bathroom, ignoring the startled questions from her friends, and was immediately sick. Her skin started to crawl as she remembered that night, how weird she felt from what she later learned was spiked wine, lying down on the bed to try and feel better, and then… " _That's right. Pose for me, I know how much you like it. The livestream will love it too._ "

Blake stepped out of the stall, still sick to her stomach, and Ruby and Yang were both there, pulling her to a hug. Beyond them was Weiss, texting furiously on her phone. They left the bathroom and Oscar was there, too, holding her phone.

"The number's blocked," he said softly, offering it.

Blake shook her head, disgusted with her phone. She didn't want to touch it.

"We're going to Guidance," Yang said firmly. "They need to know that psycho is still out and kicking."

Blake was led to the main office, and as the bell rang they all glanced around, figuring out what was more important.

"I don't…" Blake took a breath, tried to be brave. "One of you can stay," she said. In truth she wanted _all_ of them to stay, she wanted to surround herself with safe people, but that was the coward in her, and she had to stand up on her own eventually. She had to handle her own battles. But… one person wouldn't be so bad… right?

"I'll stay," Ruby said firmly. "You guys go to class. I'll let you know if I need you."

"Ruby…"

"It's fine, Yang, I got this."

"Text us," Weiss said firmly.

Five minutes after they left the Guidance counselor stepped out and took her in. Ruby followed, hugging her arm for support, and Blake was grateful to have a friend with her. Blake unlocked her phone and pulled up the texts. She set them on the desk and let the counselor read them.

"... do you know who sent this?" the counselor asked, grabbing her phone and dialing an extension.

"My ex-boyfriend," Blake said, "Adam Taurus."

The rest of the day was spent on it: the counselor called in the assistant principal, and then the school resource officer, who called in another cop. She explained her story for what felt like a hundred times: she met Adam shortly after they moved to Vale, they dated, he took her to parties - did he take pictures? Yes; he liked it when I posed, he said I looked mature, and I felt mature when I did. Did you ever take your clothes off for the pictures? No, I knew I was still too young for that and I wasn't comfortable. Tell us more about the parties? They were high school parties mostly, and one college party - that I didn't like, I felt like a kid there. Was there drinking? Yeah, always, and games like spin the bottle and sometimes not even games, just people making out on the couch or the stairs or wherever. Did you do anything at those parties? No, I wasn't comfortable, and Adam made a point of protecting me, he even would tell the boys to back off; it made me feel special, protected. What happened on Halloween last year? Adam invited me to his place for a date, we had wine, and everything was really fuzzy.

"I remember lying down on his bed to try and feel better," Blake said. "He told me to relax, it would be okay. Then I woke up and I was in my bra, and he was telling me to pose. I told him I didn't want to, I didn't feel good. He tried to put me in a pose, he touched…" She looked at Ruby, a year younger than her, and she suddenly hated that she was here, listening to this, and at the same time she hated herself, because she didn't want her to go. Her skin was crawling again, she could just feel his hands on her, remembering his phone being out, the flashlight bothered her eyes. "I ran to the bathroom," she said. "I think I was sick. The next thing I really remember was being outside, running. I hid in an alley, and that's when I called Yang."

She didn't remember making the call, only crouching and making herself as small as possible, talking and not understanding why her voice sounded so weird. Then she heard Adam, cursing, saying she was costing him big time and that she would pay for it. "That's when I saw the knife."

Then: Yang running Adam over with her bike, Yang standing in front of her, bright yellow hair haloed by the light overhead, and Yang holding her arm, blood and flashing lights.

She shook her head, shaking slightly, and her cheeks were wet.

"What's going to happen?" Ruby asked. "Will that picture really go out to the entire school?"

"We're tracing the phone now," the officer said gently, and Blake couldn't decide if she hated the gentle tone or not. She needed to be yelled at - this was her own stupidity. "If he turns it on, we'll find him."

Somehow… Blake didn't feel better knowing that.

She didn't sleep that night.

* * *

Oscar reflected that his life had changed a lot in the last year. Before it was just him and his dad. Before-before, it was him and his dad and his mom. There were never many people in his life, Mom didn't like leaving work to drive him to a friend's house and his dad had a lot of long hours at the university. His dad did try and drive him places when he could. After, when they came here, Oscar didn't go to friend's houses because his priority was making sure his dad was okay. But then his dad had met Qrow.

Now things were different. Qrow had moved in, his dad was _happy_ and… Oscar's life was much fuller. Qrow was cool, understood that his dad came first, and Oscar suddenly found he had more free time with Qrow helping his dad. And he had a bigger family. Granted, he was friends with Ruby and Yang first, but now they were his… what? Step-cousins? And their friends, Weiss and Blake, were just as much his friends. Ruby had explained to Oscar that there was a solemn vow that they were all siblings now. That if Oscar ever needed a mom that Mrs. Belladonna could be his mom, Mr. Tai was now his dad or uncle and it was all complicated and confusing.

But…

It was full. Oscar had never had such a big family. Before his dad started seeing Qrow, the idea of going over to someone's house was strange. Now, they did cookouts, went to a lake house, spent afternoons doing homework or baking together. There was so much to do that Oscar wasn't ever bored. And in high school everything changed again.

Qrow was now a teacher, his dad couldn't make the long drive to get to the high school to pick them up and Qrow was still at his school teaching, so they were all trusted to take the bus home and to be home alone. His dad would get home, usually shortly before Qrow, and he would either find Oscar and the girls at their home or Mr. Tai's and it usually ended up in a big family dinner.

And in high school, Ruby had explained that they had some duties to do.

"You remember that Blake had a rough time last year?" she asked during that first week of school.

"Yeah," he said. "She was in the hospital right? So was Yang."

Ruby nodded. "Well, she had a hard time going back to school. We're part of her defense squad."

"Defense squad?"

"Yeah!" Ruby smiled. "See, we all changed our schedules so that she always had one of us in class so she wasn't alone. And as her sisters we made sure no one bothered her. You're officially part of the family now, so you're part of the defense squad."

Oscar gave a flat look. "I'm still a short farm boy. I'm not great for being a defender."

"Are you kidding?" Ruby said, all enthusiasm. "You defended your dad didn't you? You defended him against that big guy at the supermarket! You're _totally_ defense squad material!"

Oscar was still dubious, but he shared a history class with Blake because all her tardies and absences had prevented her from getting credit the previous year, so she was repeating. He sat next to her and while she didn't talk much, she only talked to him. After the threatening texts, she got even quieter and he always shimmied his desk next to hers so that she wasn't alone. He was too shy to talk much and she was too scared to talk much, but they leaned over the history book and could point out answers to each other without needing much conversation.

Her phone was on the desk when a notification came up and Oscar saw it before Blake did.

_I haven't gotten a picture yet. Do you want that picture to go out to the entire school?_

Oscar grabbed the phone and shoved it into his pocket.

"Oscar?" Blake looked up from her notes.

"Quiet over there," the teacher said.

"May I go to the bathroom?" Oscar asked.

"Hey," Blake hissed. "What's wrong?"

"Mr. Pine, the answer is no."

"Thanks, bye!" Oscar took off and left. He was going to get into trouble for this, but if he was part of a defense squad, he had a responsibility to do. He pulled out his own phone and texted the rest of the Blake Defense Squad. He went right to Guidance and found Blake's counselor and handed over Blake's phone. He couldn't unlock it, but the notification was there on the lock screen easy to see.

"Has Blake seen this?" she asked.

"No," Oscar said. "I didn't want her seeing that in the middle of class. I brought it right here."

The counselor nodded and picked up the phone, calling Oscar's class and calling for Blake to come down.

"That was good of you," she said softly. "Now she can learn about it in a controlled environment."

Oscar nodded solemnly.

He waited and Weiss was actually the first to arrive. "I'm doing the support," she said to Oscar. "Ruby and Yang will be in her next class taking notes for her. You go finish taking notes for her in history."

Nodding Oscar stood. "Lunch?"

Weiss smiled. "Hopefully. She'll need all of us."

Of course on his way back to class, Oscar ran into Cardin Winchester.

"Hey Pussy Pine."

Of course with all that had changed in his life this hadn't.

"I've seen you just hang out with girls all the time," Winchester said and of _course_ Winchester had a growth spurt and was as tall as an adult while Oscar wasn't. "So what, you with all the girls because you're a tranny? Or you just proving you're not a fag?"

"We're in high school, Cardin. Grow up."

"I have. I'm bigger than you."

Oscar grimaced and just kept walking. After the fight last year and being grounded, he knew that getting into a fight was a bad idea. He knew Winchester just wanted to get him pissed off and angry because he wanted the show of Oscar getting in trouble. He'd learned that much from guidance, his dad, _Qrow_ ; he knew that Winchester was baiting him.

Didn't mean he still wasn't _angry_. He just knew he needed to walk away.

"Poor Pussy Pine, doesn't want his dick in a cunt."

 _God_ why was Winchester like this? He wanted to slug him.

"Oh, come on, Pussy Pine, you're not gonna call your fairy dad?" Winchester laughed. "I bet his cunt is always loose for the switch hitter. Or do they both do you? I hear faggots love little kids-"

"Back off," Oscar turned, furious. "You're just a homophobe who doesn't know anything because you don't want to." Oscar didn't have time for this. He was supposed to get back to history and take notes for Blake. She was dealing with enough, she didn't need him unable to take notes because Winchester was an asshole.

"Well, it looks like Pussy Pine has a spine." Winchester gave a cruel grin. "Tell me, who's dick is up your ass to make your spine?"

"Fuck off, Winchester."

Oscar blinked, surprised and turned to see Yang behind him, eyes almost red with fury. "Yang? How-"

"You're good, Oscar. Family defends each other," Yang gave him a smile.

 _Family_ …

"Now Oscar has class to get to," Yang turned to Winchester. "But I'm in study hall. That means I can get you to back the fuck up."

"Please, Pussy Pine doesn't-"

Yang slammed her fist against the lockers, making them rattle.

Winchester frowned, then looked Yang up and down and smiled. "I hear you're a dyke. Want to see what a dick in your cunt is actually like? You won't be a dyke after a proper fuck."

Oscar was getting tired of this and he was getting angrier.

" _Mr. Winchester_!"

A teacher came out of the classroom. "You can go see the assistant principal right now!" the teacher growled. "I'm writing you up for language, intimidation, hate speech, you'll have a week of detentions with me on top of whatever administration gives you, and I'm _calling home_."

" _What_?" Winchester gasped. "I didn't _do_ anything!"

"Come with me to administration. You very much did."

Yang gave a crooked smile. She turned to Oscar. "Told him I could make him back off."

Oscar blinked confused. " _How_?"

Rubbing her fist, Yang tapped at the lockers. "Make a big enough noise and teachers come out of their rooms to investigate. We don't get in trouble and Winchester keeps mouthing off and gets heard."

"Oh…"

Yang put an arm around his shoulder. "That's what family does."

 _Family_ … Oscar had never been part of a large family. For so long it was just him and his dad. But… this? This was probably the best part of how much his life had changed. He let out a low laugh, unable to figure out what to do with everything he'd been feeling in the last ten minutes. "I'm going to get written up for cutting class," he muttered, looking to his class just down the hall."

"I'll walk you back. I know your teacher. I'll explain a few things." Yang squeezed his shoulder. "You won't get another freebie again, but you won't get in trouble this time. How's Blake?"

"I didn't see her in guidance. She's probably read that text now. Weiss is there."

Yang nodded. "Notes duty for the Defense Squad. And good on you, Oscar, for catching it."

Oscar returned to class.

* * *

After dropping the girls off at Oz's for some kind of study session, Tai put his car in gear and drove over to the Belladonna's. He'd gotten an email asking for them to talk, and he had a dark suspicion on what it was about. He wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done, and he took a deep breath when he parked.

Kali was at the door and ushered him in almost immediately, taking his jacket and pointing him to the kitchen. Ghira was there and they shook hands. "Thanks for coming," the big man said.

"No, it's fine," Tai said. "I guess I should have seen this coming. How's everyone doing?"

"The class action suit against Schnee is going better than anyone expected - it looks like he's going to pay out. The custody battle, I'm told, is going to be much more difficult, poor girl."

"Sorry to hear that," Tai said, sitting down. Kali reappeared and put a kettle on for tea, Ghira sitting down. "Weiss is a good kid."

"They're all good kids," Ghira said, "Better than anything we could have hoped for as parents."

"Yang and Ruby said it's getting hard to keep Blake in school," Tai said, "How's she holding up?"

"Scared," Kali said, rubbing her arms. "We've changed her phone number twice but she keeps getting those awful texts. That predator wants her to pose for him, or he'll send pictures of her assault out to the entire school. It's been three weeks and she wakes up every morning to comb through the internet to see if the proverbial shoe has dropped."

"This is getting untenable," Ghira said. "The police are useless unless there's a threat of violence - and half the time they're so blinded by their own prejudices they don't take a serious threat as anything more than a joke."

"Honey, we don't need your community organizer talk," Kali said firmly. "However true it is, for now they're taking this seriously."

"As seriously as they take anything," Ghira said, running a hand through his dark wash of hair. "Did you know in the beginning they asked what Blake had done to make that Taurus predator mad?"

"I remember," Tai said, face grim. "At the hospital, they thought it was teen drama." Halloween night last year was blurry, Tai was in a near panic before he finally mentally shut down, but he did remember Ghira yelling - he had to move Ruby to the other side of the waiting room before it had calmed down. "Then they heard about the date rape drug."

"Rohypnol," Kali said, shuddering. "But at least they have the harassing texts. I can't understand why they haven't tracked the phone yet."

"He's probably using a burner," Tai said. "Or a couple of them. Yang said they've blocked something like five numbers now."

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about," Ghira said, rubbing his chin. "Blake hasn't sent anything, and we're making sure she doesn't. The boy hasn't sent anything for over a week, and she's desperate to think it will all just blow over."

"It won't," Tai said.

"That predator was grooming Blake almost as soon as they met," Kali said, her normally soft voice bitter. "He was going to get her compromised and then blackmail her into doing whatever he wanted - and then she'd disappear. He's trying to force the issue now, but Blake has a strong support network between your girls, her counselor, and the school. How is young Yang doing with all of this?" she asked.

"She puts on a brave face," Tai said, rubbing his forehead. "But she isn't sleeping as well, and you can tell when she's thinking about it because her hands start to shake. I've put her in a self-defense class - I don't have the money for both her and Ruby - and I can only hope it's enough."

"That's a good idea," Kali said, getting up as the kettle started to whistle. "Where is she going? Maybe we can sign Blake up…"

"But back to the original point," Ghira said, face dark. "Taurus is good enough to change his number, and he's good enough to keep ducking the police, and that means eventually he's going to go through with the threat. I've asked Blake repeatedly what kind of pictures he has but she insists she always kept her clothes on."

"It won't matter," Kali said, pouring the tea and shaking her head. "The one picture he did send was from the night of the assault, when she was drugged. She's admitted there are gaps in her memory - she doesn't even remember calling Yang. I can't even imagine how much time he had to…"

The silence fell over all of them, and Tai was reliving last year: driving to the hospital, seeing the ER fill with gurneys from the highway accident, being unable to see Yang, police asking him questions he couldn't even comprehend, Qrow shouting…

" _What kind of a parent are you?_ "

He shook his head. Two calls to his therapist had been all he needed, and he wasn't going to let this overwhelm him again. He took a deep breath. "You're asking what we should do if - when - those pictures come out."

Ghira nodded, his face grim. "Blake is going to want to hide again. Even with summer school she had to repeat world history, and I don't want her to lose credit again this year because of absences."

"Yang used up all her absences with the broken arm, but she was a trooper and got all of her credit back, and I know she wants to be there for Blake when things go south." He offered a half grin. "She does have a crush on her."

"Oh. _Oh_ ," Kali said, straightening as she handed out the tea. "Oh, I didn't know."

"She's only out to family right now, but she started to tell a couple of people at school: probably including Blake."

"Just like Blake to protect her friends' secrets. She did that with her cousin Sun, back in Massachusetts. Thick as thieves they were; we were so worried when we moved here, but she fell in with your girls pretty fast."

"Not fast enough," Ghira muttered. "She has to face her problems. She has to go to school when those pictures get sent out. Kids will want to talk about it no matter when she decides to go to school, better to get it over with now."

Tai frowned. "Do we know if the school is doing anything to prepare the student body?" he asked. "Is the principal going to call an assembly or something?"

"There's the very real concern that it will draw attention to Blake," Kali said with a sigh, sipping her tea. "She can barely get through a day at school as it is, this might drive her home. Last I heard they're trying to blend it into a class meeting where they talk about a couple of issues at once." She ran a hand through her short bob of hair. "I agree with Ghira, she needs to face her problems; but she needs time to heal, too. She has a lot of anxiety right now, and going to school exacerbates it. I'm so torn."

"Well," Tai said slowly. "My home is a safe space. So is the professor's. So is yours. Whatever the other kids say, the friends she has won't care. Ruby already calls the group of them the Defense Squad."

"You know that, and I know that, but teenagers don't," Ghira said. "This is a world-ending event, and Blake can't seem to understand that being a victim of digital stalking like this is more horrifying than a body of teenagers thinking about her at all."

Tai leaned back in his chair. "We all went through it," he said, a whimsical smile on his face. "I remember when everyone thought I had streaked through the halls in high school. I couldn't lift my head up in class for two months. Nobody even blinked when I actually did it in college. Qrow says he still has the picture somewhere, that he'll use it for blackmail if I ever need it." He snorted. "We were so young and stupid then…"

"We all are at that age," Kali said, smiling herself. "Someday I'll tell you how I met Ghira at a protest."

" _Kali_ ," Ghira hissed, turning bright red. He coughed. "Regardless, we should all be prepared for the worst case scenario: the pictures coming out."

"I'll talk to my brother Qrow," Tai said, nodding his head. "We all have our numbers by now. We'll let you know if we know anything."

"Same here," Ghira said.

"You want to come over for Thanksgiving?" Tai asked. "I'm already having Qrow and Oz come over, it'll be tight but Blake could use a big, soft family right now."

"We had the same thought," Kali said with a soft smile. "We're going to visit my brother's family in Massachusetts. Blake hasn't seen her cousin Sun in weeks, and a familiar face and a different location will help, I hope."

Tai nodded again. "Here's hoping the worst doesn't happen."

"Amen."

"Agreed."

* * *

Oscar looked at the clock and _begged_ for it to go faster. Detention was almost over and he really needed the day to be over. Granted, he'd kinda earned the detention given his tendency to be late coming back from lunch because he and everyone else lingered to keep supporting Blake as she tended to start shaking like a leaf every time her phone buzzed. She'd taken to always giving the phone to someone to see what the notification was. Most of the time it was fine, but it was obviously stressing her out.

So maybe Oscar deserved detention for being late. But being late for a good cause made it better. Everyone else had gone home. The last text he'd seen before turning in his phone for detention was that they were all at Mr. Tai's place. Qrow would be showing up to pick him up, which was fine with Oscar. The late bus meant a chance of being in the same place as Cardin Winchester, and the less Oscar saw of him the better.

"Mr. Pine," the teacher said. "I know you're trying to help a friend. But you also need to be aware of your own needs. Don't go neglecting yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," he said politely.

"Here's your phone. You have a ride?"

Oscar checked his phone. "Yeah. My…" what should he call Qrow…? "My other dad is picking me up."

His teacher smiled. "Good. I won't say have a good day, you've been in trouble with me. Have a thoughtful day."

"Yes, ma'am." Oscar finished packing his bag and headed out. He texted Qrow that he was on his way and headed to his locker to get his coat. November was getting colder and with Thanksgiving next week winter felt like it was just around the corner. The flagpole was the set meeting spot, so Oscar walked out to it and double checked his phone.

_15 min, parent meeting ran late_

Oscar shrugged and opened up other texts to see how the group chat was doing.

"Well, Pussy Pine."

Oscar groaned, looking up to see Winchester there, football gear making him broader and more intimidating.

God, he was so done with this. _Years_ of bullying.

"Winchester," he replied. "Where's the rest of the team?"

The helmet came off and Winchester just grinned. "I'm keeping a look out for the bus. Away game. If you were there, I'd call it a _gay_ me."

Oscar rolled his eyes, looking back to his phone.

"Waiting for your fag-dad? Or the fuck-boy of his?"

 _Not punching him, not hitting him, not kicking him into next week_.

"Nice coat by the way. Very stylish, tranny-boy."

 _Not punching, not hitting, not kicking_. Oscar sent a text on the group chat that Winchester had just showed up and a veritable barrage of texts came back of support from everyone.

And Oscar couldn't quite hold back the smile. He had a huge family now and they all supported him. He'd never had that before and it was… he couldn't think of a good word for it.

Winchester walked over, looming over him. "Come on, Pussy Pine. Just go crying for you fairy-fag-dad. We both know that's what you want. Cry like a little girl."

Oscar gave a flat stare. "You say that like it's a bad thing to be a little girl."

"Well, you _are_ a pussy. I just keep wondering who's dick you take. You haven't exactly manned up, after all."

Oscar was _soooooo_ tired of this. "Your version of 'manning up' is toxic and requires a dick measuring contest of who's more masculine, which is a contest no one ever wins."

"That's because you probably have a toothpick dick since you're made to be a pussy, like your fag-dad and his fuck-boy."

"Cardin, you've been harrassing me for years now. Aren't you tired yet?"

"Like I said, Pussy Pine, you're a pussy. Of course you're tired, you're a weak little cunt that can't even take one shafting before cumming."

 _God_ , this was disgusting. How the hell did you get homophobes to stop? On the internet you could at least _block_ them and _report_ them. How the hell did you handle them in school? And why was Winchester's language so _vulgar_ this year? All the innuendo and allusions to sex. What the hell?

"So, what, you're fairy-fag fucks your ass while his fuck-boy fucks your mouth?" Winchester kept looming. "I bet they like to see you blushing through all those freckles, tranny. Do they strip you before fucking you or do you take it rough? I know guys aren't built for being fucked and need lube. I bet you take dick without the lube in that wet pussy of yours."

"What's with you, Cardin?" Oscar growled. "You keep talking about fucking. Why do you keep…" Realization seemed to dawn on Oscar and his mouth dropped open.

Winchester licked his lips.

"Is that why you've been fixated on me for years? Is that why your language has gotten so crass? You're _gay_ for me?"

Winchester took several steps back, face paling. "What the fuck, Pussy Pine!"

Oscar glared. "Why else are you always being a jerk to me? Back off, I'm not interested."

Winchester kept sputtering. "My God, you really _are_ a faggot."

Qrow pulled up and Oscar was happy to have an escape. He turned to Winchester before he sat down. "If that's your version of flirting, you're never going to get laid."

"Pussy Pine!" Winchester yelled, furious.

But Oscar sat down and turned to Qrow. "Can we please leave?"

Qrow studied him. "Do you need me to kick his ass?"

Oscar shook his head. "No. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I have him figured out. He can't really hurt me anymore."

Self-hate? Anger as a result? Oscar knew what that looked like all too well. The loud and angry sort that caused damage, that was his mom. The quiet, inward reflected kind, that was his dad for a long time. At this point, he could only pity Winchester. His phone was still buzzing and he pulled it out to start replying.

"Need anything?" Qrow asked quietly.

Oscar hesitated. "Ice cream."

Qrow smiled, knowing what that meant, and turned a different direction.

* * *

The week of Thanksgiving was spent with Blake's cousin Sun, and Neptune (why thank you, I make blue hair look _amazing_ ), and Gramma Sienna and Ilia and all of her old friends. Pictures, food, more conversation than Blake thought possible - she told Ilia she was bi and Ilia told her she was gay. They chuckled and teased Sun and Neptune - remembering their old nickname of Sea Monkeys, Gramma Sienna told them stories of her activist days in the eighties and marching down to the capitol. Blake had turkey to the disapproval of her parents and - after being vegetarian for so long - was sick afterwards as her body protested the meat. Friday was full of shopping and crowds and texts from Yang and Weiss, Blake snapping a selfie of her and Ilia and Yang saying they looked cute together. This was followed by a text from Ruby saying Yang was jealous and Blake laughed.

She hadn't heard from Adam in a month, his last threat was on Halloween night - she spent the day home from school terrified he would send the picture, but nothing happened, and she finally believed that he had given up.

Blake and Ilia were up late Saturday night talking, sharing stories, discovering when they realized what they were, talking about what turned their heads and how simple touches lit fires in them. Illia admitted she was in love with someone, cheeks bright pink, and Blake admitted she was scared to fall in love: Adam had proven she was a poor judge of character and she didn't trust herself yet. Illia looked down, sad, but brightened to say that it was only natural, and that they had all the time in the world. Blake was sad to leave Sunday, the break from Vale had been _wonderful_ , and for the first time in weeks she looked forward to going to school.

She texted Weiss, Yang, and Ruby about her great weekend. Weiss admitted her weekend was hard, her father had managed to insist on a family dinner and it was all about her mother and how "ill" she was, her little brother snide and condescending, and Blake added her support with Yang and Ruby.

 _Ill come ovr mon and help u decrate_ , she type quickly, _its ur 1st xmas with winter, rt? Well make it specl_.

_Blake, your typing is atrocious. But yes, I would love to have you come over and help me decorate. Winter was thinking silver as a main color._

_We did that 1 yr. It was depressing aftr a while, u need a real color 2 balance it._

_I'll pass that on_.

Monday was full of smiles on the bus, music blaring in her ears as she hopped off the bus. Her first class was world history with Oscar, and he passed a note saying he was happy to see her smile.

Second period she was by herself, and the teacher was going through a list of vocabulary for the next unit they were covering. Blake was busy taking notes and definitions, and maybe it was her imagination, but a lot of people seemed to be looking at her as she wrote things down. Her anxiety flared, but she shook her head, knowing it was probably nothing - had _been_ nothing for several weeks. But when the bell rang she noticed a _lot_ of kids were looking at her in the hall, and that wasn't her imagination. Her stomach started to twist, and when she made it to math with Ruby she was grateful to see a similar face.

"Am I being paranoid again?" she whispered. "Is everyone looking at me?"

"I don't know," Ruby said, "I'm bad at seeing stuff like that, but I'll sit next to you - today is bookwork day so it shouldn't be much of a problem."

But the seed had been planted. Blake kept looking around the classroom, and it felt like everyone was pointing to her. She kept shifting in her seat; it was only third period, one more class and she could make it to lunch - _there_ , someone definitely made eye contact and turned with a smile. Blake didn't recognize the face. She kept her head down after that, grabbing her phone to check her messages. No one had sent anything, no texts from Adam, but there were thirty messages on her social media, and she was afraid.

The bell rang before she could ask Ruby to look, and the next class was Civics with Yang. Blake nearly ran to class, looking for that beautiful blond hair and making a beeline to her.

"Something's wrong," she said without preamble. "I have thirty messages. I'm afraid to look."

Yang's face was already serious, and Blake handed her phone over. Yang scrolled through the messages, and her face got darker and darker. Her eyes were almost red when she looked across the room. "Hey Mercury!" she called, gesturing for him to come over.

The junior came over, eyes roving over Blake in a way that made her uncomfortable.

"You wanna explain this?" she asked, holding up Blake's phone.

"What?" Mercury asked. "It's an honest question."

"Not really," Yang said, "What gave you the idea?"

"Oh? You didn't get it? Here, let me send it." Mercury pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "Though honestly, you should ask the source," he looked up and gave a lecherous grin, "given how close you two are."

Blake knew. She didn't need to see Yang's face when she saw the message Mercury had sent, she didn't need to see her jolt to her feet, she already knew. Yang dropped her phone as she started shouting at Mercury, and there, on her screen, was the picture of Blake from last year, in her bra and posing. Pasted on the photo was text: _There's more where this came from_.

Blake picked up her own phone in morbid, slow motion, opening her messages, knowing what they contained but unable to look away.

_When do *I* get some?_

_Pose for me._

_Tits next time or it's lame._

_You do that for everybody?_

_You'd look way better with my dick in your mouth._

And so on and so on. She read all of them, lost to the outside world, and then read them again, and again, and again. Twelve new messages. Then thirteen. Then twenty. The pic was spreading to the entire school, more and more people were seeing it, and her feed was getting flooded with people asking about it or remarking on it or begging for more. Blake was shaking, her cheeks hot and wet, and she _couldn't stop reading it_.

Someone finally yanked the phone out of her hands, and she looked up to see everyone staring at her, Yang stuffing the phone in her back pocket. The desks were askew of their neat little rows, and Mercury was looking like someone had shoved him, but two dozen eyes were on Blake, and _all of them knew_.

And she did what she did best:

She ran away.

"Blake!"

The halls were a blur, she didn't know where to go, she just wanted to be _away_. All she could see were those messages, the picture, the _more where this came from_ , her mind unable to process the enormity of what had just happened. She felt disgusting, and her stomach twisted so much she stopped wherever she was just to be sick. Everything shuddered and even when nothing was left in her stomach she still heaved, her body trying to get rid of this _sickening_ feeling. Cold air prickled along her skin, and when she could finally look up she saw she was outside, just passed the school parking lot and on the gravel path that led to the athletics field.

Gingerly she stepped around her sickness, but she felt light headed and cold, making it maybe a dozen steps before she had to sit down on the gravel. The cold air made her numb, and that felt better than what she was currently feeling.

 _Anything_ would be better than what she was currently feeling.

* * *

_Guys, Blake ran away! Did anyone see where she went?_

_yang what even happened everyone was staring in math_

_ADAM SENT THE PICTURES!_

_w h a t_

_I agree: what? This is terrible! How are we supposed to stop something like this?_

I don't know! I wanna kill that dirty bastard!

_Guys, guys I'm on the second floor, I just saw her run out to the parking lot where does that gravel path lead?_

_The athletics field. Thanks, Oscar! I'm on it!_

"Good luck, Weiss," Yang muttered, putting her phone down. She and Mercury were in the main office, the civics teacher having thrown them out when the shoving had started. Yang glared at him from the other side of the office, but Blake was her first concern and she felt better for having Weiss go after her. The next step was guidance, so she got up and moved down the short hall to the other part of the office, going to the guidance counselor's door and knocking. "It's an emergency!"

The counselor came out and Yang showed her the picture. That led to more calls and the SRO sweeping in to ask some questions. When Yang finally got out she saw Mercury still in the office, sitting and sullen. She walked over to him.

"Just so you know," she said in a low voice. "I'm gonna tell everyone in the building that you get off on rape pics."

Mercury's face was a sight to behold; he sputtered and jerked to his feet. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Cause that's what it was," Yang said, unrelenting and happy to see him squirm. "A rape pic. The SRO is going through the feed now to see who wanted to see more, and he's gonna pull you all into his office and ask what kind of rapist you are."

"You can't be serious!" Mercury said. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My _problem_ is that idiots like you don't think about where shit like this come from!" Yang said. "All you see is a pretty girl half dressed and your stupid weiners stop you from thinking about anything else: like who took the pic or why she isn't smiling or about her having _no idea_ that people were spreading this around! She was a _freshman_ when this was taken, you sick piece of garbage!"

"Black," the SRO said, all business. "My office now."

Mercury gulped, face losing color, and Yang felt perverse pleasure that he was suffering. He looked back at Yang, slow dawning horror spreading over his face. Yang sat back down and pulled out her phone.

 _Just so everyone is on the same page_ , she said in a text to Velvet and the few other upperclassmen she felt safe texting, _if anyone is getting off on that pic that's being spread around, it means they're getting off on a rape pic_.

_Wait, WHAT?_

_Is THAT why Blake was out so much last year?_

_OMG who even sent the pic?_

_Adam Taurus, remember him?_

_That creepy senior? I totally believe it then. He was creepy AF._

_Tell everyone to stop jerking off_ , Yang wrote, _let them know what they're really looking at_.

 _On it_ , Velvet replied.

Yang sighed, and hoped it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yang, girl, WHAT ARE YOU DOING. But more on that later.
> 
> Blake's story is different than everyone else's in the fic. Where every other character's arc is a balance of self-indulgence and vaguely matching the beats of their arcs in the series, Blake's story here is instead a visceral reaction to a PD Image had a few months before the Apocalypse started. As high school teachers she and the rest of her school were talked to by a Human Trafficking cop about how teens can be/are harvested for business and... like... teachers left in the middle of the PD crying it was so sick and twisted and gross and sad and everything else. It literally only takes 30 seconds for someone to fall into the blackmail that Blake just suffered in this chapter and... Look, the detail-details, they come from that PD.
> 
> As if all of that isn't dark enough we also get Cardin Winchester to act like a youtube comment section and - like - I kind of want a show after doing a final read-through of this chapter. In retrospect we should have reordered this a little better. What a mood turn compared to the last chapter.
> 
> On the up side, Oscar's arc is now closed as he's figured out Cardin and realized just what having a big family can be like. The adults are well aware of how dangerous things are getting and are trying to keep everyone's heads above water - Tai is still Best Supporting Character (TM).
> 
> Next chapter: things keep sucking for Blake, Yang has a problem, and Qrow relives his darkest memory. Just... Drama. Drama everywhere.


	25. Chapter 25

Blake was a zombie when Weiss found her. Right on the edge of the athletics field, in a thin shirt and jeans, shivering and catatonic, Weiss saw she had been… sick… and crouched down next to her sister in all but name. "Hey," she said softly. Blake didn't respond, and Weiss carefully reached out to touch her arm. It was ice cold, and Weiss pulled off her winter coat and tucked it around Blake's shoulders. She still didn't react. Weiss saw one of the assistant principals coming over, saying something into a walkie talkie. He asked if Blake was okay and Weiss shook her head, unsure how to answer.

They got her to her feet somehow, and Weiss walked her all the way to the nurse's office. She saw Yang in the main office with Mercury Black before he walked off with the SRO. Weiss tried to catch Yang's eye but couldn't, and for now she stayed with Blake, taking her to the nurse and sitting her down and just… holding her. She hadn't seen the picture that was going around yet, but she didn't want to see it either. Instead she moved her hand up and down Blake's arm, trying to warm it and pressing her head next to her dear friend's. It was the end of their period, the bell rang, and Weiss asked if she could stay here with Blake instead of going to fourth period. The nurse agreed and called ahead.

"Excuse me, is Blake here?"

Weiss turned around. "Ruby! She's over here!"

"Blake!"

Ruby darted over and sat on Blake's other side, but she was still unresponsive. "Help me get her warm," Weiss said. "I don't know how long she was outside without a coat."

Ruby nodded, snuggling up to Blake and snaking her small hand into Weiss', effectively trapping Blake in their supportive hug. Fourth period was quiet, heavy silence as the nurse did her business and Weiss and Ruby tried to pull their friend back from the brink. She warmed up slowly, going from numb to shivering, and Ruby and Weiss kept exchanging glances, worried.

Then, something wet fell on the back of Weiss' hand, and she tilted her head to see twin tears roll down Blake's cheeks, and all at once there was a pained wail, and Blake crumpled into herself, the emotion pouring out of her. Weiss and Ruby held her tight, unable to think of anything else. She cried for an eternity it felt like, rocking back and forth, taking shuddering, ugly breaths. Weiss was near tears herself, and she saw the occasional tear leak out from Ruby, but they both understood that words wouldn't really be heard at this point.

Oscar came in with trays of food for lunch, uncertain what else he could do, but Ruby assured him this was more than enough. He watched, eyes sad, but nodded and went back to the cafeteria.

"Blake!"

Mr. Belladonna towered over everyone, and Weiss watched him crouch down and gently put his massive hand on his daughter's cheek. "Blake…" he said gently.

She looked up, and her golden eyes were puffy and red, shiny; her face was pink, almost red, and seeing her father she started to cry again. Blake collapsed into her father, and he gave a grateful look to Weiss and Ruby as he took over comforting her.

The rest of the school day was miserable: students kept disappearing to the office, word spread like wildfire that the pic was a rape pic and that anyone who liked it was a perv. Weiss didn't understand how anyone even knew about what happened Halloween - Blake had bent over backwards to make Weiss and the others swear up and down that they not tell anyone what happened and never gave a straight answer if someone asked why she was out for so long. Weiss worried that an upperclassman knew something and she dreaded telling Blake that everyone now knew what she went through.

Weiss kept her phone off for the rest of the day, she didn't want to see what her feed looked like and wasn't sure she would ever post anything ever again. The walk home was quiet, but they all agreed to go to the Belladonnas. Weiss texted her sister while Ruby explained to Mr. Qrow and Professor Ozpin. It was an hour walk to her house and they knocked politely.

Mrs. Belladonna opened the door, and she smiled, but she shook her head. "She's not really up to seeing anyone right now," she said softly. "She'll love that you came, but…"

"Of course," Weiss said quickly. "We understand. We'll call later and make an appointment."

Mrs. Belladonna smiled again, and stepped out of the house. "Where do you want to be dropped off?" she asked. "The least I can do is take you somewhere."

"We can go to our place," Yang said, face dark.

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a glance, knowing that Mr. Tai wouldn't be home until almost supper, but Mrs. Belladonna agreed, grabbing her keys inside and walking them over to her car. Yang took the front seat, but not before Weiss noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. The ride was darkly quiet - Weiss kept looking to Ruby but she shook her head, uncertain what Yang was thinking.

They piled out of the car and into the house, Yang pounding down the hall to their room and leaving Weiss and Ruby scrambling to say their goodbyes.

"No," Mrs. Belladonna said. "I just got a text from your father; he won't be home until almost six, and your uncle until four-thirty. You girls shouldn't be alone right now." Her eyes trailed down the hall where Yang disappeared. Weiss pursed her lips but made a decision.

"I'll check on her," she said, asking Ruby with her eyes if she would take care of Blake's mother. Ruby nodded, and Weiss moved down the hall to the sisters' room, knocking on the frame before entering. Yang was spread out on her bed, and she pulled into a sitting position when Weiss came in.

"Yang…" she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ ," she said, looking away.

"You know… it's okay if you're not okay." Weiss sat down next to her friend.

"I'm perfectly _fine_ ," Yang growled, head whipping around and her eyes red in the fading afternoon light. Weiss leaned back, startled by how harsh her friend's voice was, but Yang let out a sigh, head dipping down. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just… I don't know what to do."

Weiss leaned forward, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder. "None of us do," she said. "None of us have ever been through this before."

"It's not just that," Yang said, running a hand through her hair. "You have this giant family - and they suck but they're all in one house and you have recitals and dinners and… I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. Ruby's mom left too. Dad was shut down and Uncle Qrow was just… in and out. And when he was in he wasn't… he wasn't himself, and sometimes he was a little scary. I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone. I can still remember waking up and making fried eggs, because that was all I knew how to cook, for Ruby when she got up. Lunch was PB and J, and dinner was cereal because I wasn't tall enough to reach the microwave yet. Dad would just wander the house and…"

"I'm sure it was very hard," Weiss said, putting a hand on Yang's back.

"It was better when we went into therapy, but Dad still had to go to work, and Uncle Qrow wasn't better yet, and I still had to look after Ruby. It's not that I minded, but how's an eight year old supposed to look after a seven year old? I was the one who decided to stage an intervention for Uncle Qrow."

Weiss listened, unsure where this was going, sad to hear that this had all happened. The family was always so happy, so positive, it hurt to hear how dark things were.

"All I wanted to do was protect them," she said. "I was eight, I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but I still wanted to be there for everyone. I want to be there for Blake…" Her face crinkled together, pain washing over her features, and Weiss hurt all over. "But she won't let me."

Weiss took a breath. "She's afraid," she said. "And… in a way… I understand. She sees how much this is hurting everyone - even herself - and she blames herself for bringing this down on all of us."

"But no one blames her!" Yang said, fierce again. "Why does she keep doing that? Why does she think it's her fault? How can I be there for her if _she doesn't let me?_ " Her hands were shaking.

"Because that's how it works in her head," Weiss said, shifting to face Yang better. "Father was - _is_ \- very good at this. Nothing bad that has ever happened is his fault - it's his CFO for missing something, or middle management for not taking a firm hand, or me for not listening to him. When you hear that over and over… no one ever told me different, and you believe it when it's said. Blake… I don't know what their dating was like, but when Father ambushed me in front of the school last year, she said she knew that look, and that _Adam_ had that look. Right now, she can't even comprehend that this isn't all her fault."

"But so what?" Yang asked. "I don't care about any of that!"

"But she thinks we all do," Weiss said. This she had learned in therapy with Winter. "She's blaming herself, so she thinks everyone else will, too."

"But that's not _right_!"

"Of course not," Weiss said quickly. "But that's what she feels, and I can speak to personal experience that breaking that cycle of thought is very, very hard. You remember what I was like in middle school - you thought I was this haughty spoiled princess." She made a face. "I… probably was. But more importantly I was busy being as perfect as possible, because if I was perfect then Father might not be mad when he got home."

Yang finally pulled out of her anger, turning to look at Weiss, violet gaze wide. Weiss couldn't quite hold the gaze, and she glanced down. "I don't blame Blake for wanting to hide," she said softly. "I ran away from home, so I know how rash decisions are when you feel that cornered. But… a lot of people are looking out for her." She looked up to Yang. "It's not just you anymore, so you don't have to do everything. She'll come out when she's ready, and we'll be there for her. In the meantime… I know we're not the closest, but I'll be there for you, too."

Yang's eyes welled, and she pulled Weiss into a tight hug.

* * *

Blake stayed at home for three days to process how ruined she was. Her phone was off and on her parents' nightstand - she didn't _dare_ turn it on for fear of a slew of texts and dick pics and harassment. All she could think about was the text: more where this came from. How many poses had she done before she realized what was happening? Before she managed to leave?

She had to go back to school, had to face everyone who knew what a slut she was, how easy, and how _stupidly naive_. Thinking about it would send her into an emotional maelstrom, and even spending two hours with her counselor didn't turn it off. He'd been by twice a day for the last three days, helping Blake, and when he wasn't there her friends knocked on her door.

The worst part was knowing they didn't blame her, because they _should_. This was her fault for being so stupid, and she didn't deserve their kindness.

Eventually, though, she realized she couldn't shut them out - Yang at the very least would break her door down - and… she didn't want to hurt them more than she already had. On the third day she opened the door instead of her mother. Ruby was at the door and looked shocked to see her, but that lasted all of half a blink before she jumped and threw her arms around Blake, saying how glad she was to see her back.

"Are you eating?" Weiss said, stepping in. "You look thin, and pale."

"I'm trying," Blake said. "It's hard to keep it down sometimes."

Weiss nodded, as if expecting this. "I'll ask Mrs. Kali to make some ginger tea. That helps me when I'm sick."

They moved upstairs to Blake's room, Ruby permanently attached to her hip, hugging and squeezing and hugging in turns, nuzzling her face into Blake's shoulder. "We've been really worried," she said, sad. Blake sat down on her bed, Ruby at her side while Yang sat at her desk. "You weren't answering any of our texts."

"I haven't turned my phone on," Blake confessed. "I'm afraid to look at the messages."

"You can turn it on now," Yang said, gaze intent. "I'll scroll through and delete everything."

"I don't want to delete it yet," Blake said. "I don't know if the police will want it. They've talked to me but… I don't really remember much."

Ruby squeezed even tighter, and Blake felt the emotion start to build up. She screwed her eyes shut, fighting it back. "I'm such a wreck," she said, voice watery. "I hate myself so much. I was so stupid. I don't know how…"

"Blake," Yang said, leaning forward. "No one blames you."

Blake rested her head on Ruby's. "They should."

"No," Ruby said as Weiss came in with tea. "You shouldn't be blamed for anything."

"Ruby's right," Weiss said. "If I can't be blamed for what Father does then you can't be blamed for what Adam does."

Blake stared. "Wait… what?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the desk next to Yang. "We can all agree that my father is a terrible person, and we can all agree that he does terrible things. I spent my life thinking that what he did was my fault because I wasn't good enough. You all have shown me that that isn't true. Therefore, by that same logic: Adam Taurus is a terrible person and he does terrible things. He didn't do those things because of something you did or didn't do - he was going to do those things no matter what you did. The smartest thing you did was run away that night, and he's trying to convince you that instead of being smart it was stupid. Well I, for one, think it was smart."

"Smart, and brave," Ruby said, rubbing Blake's back.

Blake… she'd never thought of it quite like that. She'd always been so focused on how easy it was to be tricked… how stupid she was to fall for the act… but the whole point was that it was an _act_. Adam played his part so she _could_ fall for it.

"Do you think…" she asked, a thought occurring to her. "Do you think he really had a rough time with his parents? That his story about being emancipated was a lie?"

"Does it matter?" Yang asked seriously. "He said whatever he needed to to make you feel sorry for him so he could get what he wanted."

Blake blinked, the revelation settling over her slowly. She felt like her entire world was shifting, just a few degrees, but somehow it was also a hundred-eighty. A hundred conversations and text chains filtered through her head - she almost wanted to pull them up and go through them, to highlight the turns of phrase, the things he would say, as she slowly came to understand - truly understand - the game he played with her. Only… instead of feeling stupid, naive… she felt angry, manipulated. She'd never felt angry before during all of this - frightened, anxious, depressed, jittery - but never _angry_. Yang was right: it didn't matter how terrible Adam's situation was, he used it to use _her_. How could someone weaponize their pain like that? Worse, how could someone _make something like that up_ just to get brownie points?

"I-" she started to say, but she wasn't sure what words were going to come out. Her worldview was still shifting, and she needed time to wrap her head around it. "Thank you," she said instead. "I think… I think I want to see my phone."

Ruby stiffened around her, pulling her head back to look at her friend. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Blake nodded. "I don't want to see the messages yet," she said, "But… I want to see some of Adam's texts. I want to see…"

Had it really been so obvious?

Yang got up and got her phone, Blake turned it on and unlocked it. Sixty-eight messages and posts were waiting for her, and she sucked in a breath to see the number, feeling the anxiety flood her synapses again, but she ignored them and opened up her text chains to Adam.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked, her tone concerned.

"I want to see if I can see the manipulation now," Blake said, scrolling up. "I want to see if he was really that obvious."

"How did you two even meet?"

"In a parking lot," Blake said. "Mom had stopped off to buy some wine for a dinner date she and Dad were going to have, and she never lets me into the liquor store. Adam was there, and we just started talking. He was on my street a week later, surprised to see me again." She stopped, snapping to attention. "... that was a lie, wasn't it? He _planned_ on seeing me again. Does that mean… he told me he loved reading, literature, fantasy and romance novels. He said he wanted to be an author but was afraid his work wasn't good enough. I thought it was so amazing to find someone who liked what I liked…"

She looked down at her phone, but she didn't even need to see the text messages anymore as she realized how much of Adam's life had been constructed to her specific tastes. The shame was still there, the self-hatred that she had fallen for all of it, but now there was anger, too. Anger that someone like Adam existed in life. Anger that he played a game with her feelings without caring one lick about the pain he was causing. Blake was shaking again, but it was a different kind of shaking.

"I… I hate him," she said, and she saw the intense gaze of Yang and the knowing look of Weiss. "I can't believe… how does someone just… _do_ something like that? I'm so mad. I'm so _mad!_ " She wanted to throw her phone across the room, break it in half for all the texts that were in there. "He… he _did this_ to me."

"Yes," Weiss said firmly, crossing her arms. "He did do this to you, and now you have to figure out how you get to react to him."

Blake blinked, not connecting the dots. "What?" she asked.

"She's asking," Yang said, "if you're going to keep playing his game."

"I don't listen to Father anymore," Weiss explained. "I ignore his contacts and forward them to Winter. He's tried to get Mother to call - and that's harder - but I know that I can't listen to her either because if I do I play into Father's game. He doesn't control me anymore because I don't follow his script."

Blake blinked, still feeling like her processing power was so slow, that these things were so _obvious_. "I don't want to play his game," she said, and she was startled to hear how intense her voice was. "I don't want him to keep manipulating me. I want… I want to go to school. He wants me home, doesn't he? He wants me to feel small, to feel helpless, so he can swoop in. I don't…" She shook her head. "I need to go to school."

But _sixty-eight_ messages…

"But I don't know if I can…" The anxiety hadn't gone away, it wasn't _fixed_ , and the idea of all those other students thinking what they did of her. "What has everyone been saying?" she asked, glancing at her open phone, but still so uncomfortable with the idea of reading it.

"There was an assembly yesterday," Ruby said, still attached to Blake, but she pulled back to face her more fully. "They talked about online harassment and made us read the school handbook so we knew what the consequences were. A lot of people have been called down to the office or to guidance."

"They didn't say your name," Weiss said quickly, "And they talked about class rings and some other things, but it was kind of obvious they were trying to head things off before it got too bad."

"... maybe that's why there's _only_ sixty-eight messages," Blake said, eyes drifting down to her phone. "What are the kids saying?"

"I took care of that," Yang said, leaning forward and putting her elbows on her knees. "They won't say anything."

Blake - and Ruby and Weiss - looked to Yang in confusion. "I don't get it," Ruby said, "What did you do? You didn't say anything."

Yang reached out and held Blake's hand. "I texted Velvet, Cocoa, Fox, and Yatsuhashi. They're upperclassmen, and said anyone getting off on that picture was a perv for liking a rape pic. They remember Adam and said he was creepy as hell, and they spread the word."

… what?

… _what?_

"You… you _told_ them about That Night?" Blake asked.

Yang frowned, confused by the question. Her hands started to shake. "Well, yeah," she admitted. "How else was I going to get them to stop bugging you?"

"Yang!" Weiss said, but Blake didn't have time to process her friend's tone. She was stuck on the fact that Yang _told people_ about _That Night_. The school knew what happened…? They knew… they _knew_ … about… all of it…?

" _How could you do that?_ " Blake shouted, standing so suddenly Ruby fumbled to the floor. Weiss visibly startled but Blake was too busy staring at Yang. " _How could you do that_?"

"What?" Yang said, leaning back. "I was trying to help you."

" _That was private!_ " Blake shouted back. "You three were the only ones who knew anything! The only reason I was able to go back to school last year was because I knew nobody knew what happened, I thought I had a _shred_ of self-respect! I thought even if I hated myself it would be okay because _nobody knew!_ "

Yang was blinking rapidly, still confused and _why was she confused_ , what right did she have to be confused? "I was trying to help you!" she said, standing up to see Blake at eye level. "Those texts were _awful_ and they didn't understand how much they were hurting you. They didn't get what a problem it was 'cause they were too _stupid_ to see past a beautiful girl half naked posing like some kind of… some kind of…"

"Some kind of _what_ , Yang?" Blake demanded. "Some kind of _slut_? You think I didn't _know_ that? That was better than the whole school _knowing what had happened_."

"But it got them to stop!" Yang defended. "Why is this even bothering you?"

"So should I tell the whole school about your intervention with Qrow?" Blake shot back. Ruby whimpered on the floor and Blake knew she was fighting dirty but Yang had to understand. "Should I tell them about how scared you were when Qrow found out you had dumped all the booze down the sink, about how close he came to _hitting_ you when he realized you were the one who did it? Should I share how your dad had to step in and shout at him, tell him they didn't know how else to get through to him? Should I mention how long you were _crying_ after Qrow said _yes to rehab_?"

" _Blake!_ " Yang shouted, and she was in Blake's face now, but Blake didn't care. "Even _Weiss_ doesn't know about that!"

" _And that's the point_ ," Blake hissed, thrusting a finger at Yang's chest. "The whole thing was _painful_ , it _hurts_ to remember, and you just put it on a sign for the _whole school_ to hear about!" Tears rolled down her cheeks, she wiped at them angrily, and she took a shuddering breath, hiding her face in her hands. She growled, so full of emotion she didn't even know what to do. Things were falling out of her mouth that she didn't want to say - she knew for a cold fact that she'd just hurt Ruby badly, and she'd put Weiss in a terrible position, but _what else could she do_ , she didn't know how to handle what had just been revealed to her - she was finally starting to get her head around Adam and now _this…!_

"Leave," she said from behind her hands. "Leave before I say something else. Oh, my god, _please…_ I don't want to hurt Ruby again… Weiss…"

"I've got it," the heiress said softly. Blake half sat, half fell back to her bed, and she sensed Weiss as she collected a shell-shocked Ruby and left her room. Yang was still there, stayed for a long time, but eventually she left, too.

Blake shook, hot tears streaming down her face. Her phone, on the floor, buzzed.

She looked at it, saw it was a text from someone. She unlocked her phone but… instead she started typing.

_Ruby, im sorry._

_Weiss, im sorry._

She flopped back on her bed, and she took a deep breath.

She had sixty-eight messages to read.

* * *

Ozpin came home to see a note from Qrow saying he was spending the night at Tai's, something was up with the girls. Ozpin texted if everything was okay, but Qrow never answered, a testament to where his focus was. He asked Oscar about it but he didn't know either, only that there was some kind of fight at the Belladonna's - and he only knew _that_ because Weiss had texted asking if he knew what happened last Halloween.

"And what did you say?" he asked.

"I told the truth," Oscar said, "That Qrow texted you at three a.m. and you went running to see what you could do. You never said what the problem was, and I got the impression not to ask."

Oz nodded, adjusting his glasses. "I suppose some of the details have been released."

"Well yeah," Oscar said. "Apparently Blake was assaulted…?"

Ozpin winced. "There are some very private details to the story," he said, sitting down. "Much like talking about your mother, the details are left to a trusted few."

Oscar looked down, and Ozpin took a sip of his hot chocolate, contemplating. The evening was quiet, and not in a good way, but Ozpin wasn't sure how much to share and Oscar wasn't sure how much he was supposed to know. He didn't see Qrow until the next day, and it was obvious he had gotten little to no sleep the night prior, sitting on the couch staring at nothing, dark circles under his eyes and the same vacant look he had the night of the hospital. Ozpin sat next to his love, carefully traced circles on his back to let him know he was there.

Qrow looked to him, wine colored eyes haunted. "I never told you about the intervention," he said, his voice rough as sandpaper.

Oz frowned, wondering where this was coming from. "You have not," he admitted. "But that was a very dark time in your life, and you had Tai and Clover and rehabilitation to work through that rough patch to come out the other side. There is no _need_ to talk about it because the surrounding issues have either been resolved or rearranged in such a way as to no longer be a problem. You do not drink anymore, for one, and you have created an intricate support system to curb any temptation you might have. What need has there been, therefore, for you to discuss it?"

"Oz, out of all the shit I ever did… that was the darkest day of my life…" He tilted his head back, pressed it into the back of the couch. "I need a drink for this, but I can't drink…"

Qrow had not expressed such a need in months, and Ozpin worded his next sentence very, very carefully. "What do you need me to do to help you? I can sit and listen, I can make you hot chocolate - perhaps you would prefer soda."

"Soda," Qrow said, closing his eyes. "The carbonation is as good a replacement for the burn as I get."

"Duly noted," Oz said, standing and moving to the kitchen. Oscar was there, doing his homework. He looked up and the question was all over his face, and Ozpin leaned in. "Work upstairs for a while," he said softly. "This might take some time."

"... Do I need to worry?" Oscar asked, just as quiet. "I heard him say he wanted a drink…"

"I understand, but for now there is no concern. If there was I would certainly let you know."

"... Okay," Oscar said. He closed up his books and notebooks and moved upstairs, leaving Ozpin to get a can of soda and go back to the living room. Qrow hadn't moved, but he took the can of soda and popped it open one-handed, knocking it back and guzzling for two, three, four, five gulps before he pulled back for an exhale.

"Sucks," he muttered, "It's not the same."

Ozpin waited, gave Qrow time to start the story himself, or perhaps explain why he had hinted to such a dark memory. The silence drew out, Qrow drinking his soda and staring at nothing, and Oz had the sense that this was what he was like in that period of time, his "rough patch" as Clover had once named it. Should he call the sponsor? Oz decided to wait, instead asking, "Is there something you feel the need to talk about?"

Qrow finally looked to him, his stubble fuller than usual. "It was batshit crazy," he said, "When Summer was diagnosed. It was already pretty bad with all the shit from Raven, but they were getting better, you now? Yang and Ruby were growing up, Tai was better - we thought he was better - and Summer… she was just like her namesake; all sunshine and warmth."

"The diagnosis must have been devastating."

"Lasted half an hour before I went to a bar and tried to forget it," Qrow said. "I was drinking since I was fourteen, in college the four of us would go to these parties and Summer would get all these blackmail pictures of the rest of us and it was fun. Funny. After Raven… I didn't know it but I had a problem. Tai and Summer… they grew out of the parties but I didn't. Bi-Disaster, you know? When Summer… things went bad. I couldn't face her leaving, and I wanted to get black-out drunk, like if I did then somehow it wouldn't happen. I wasn't…" He drifted off, and there was a darkness there, something Ozpin saw only very rarely.

"... I wasn't there," he admitted, and his voice was shaky. Compassion drove Oz to put a hand on Qrow's shoulder, squeezing it. Qrow took a hitched breath but no tears fell, long since spent. "Tai had to take care of her all by himself and I was too fucking busy drowning in my own _fucking_ self-pity. Jesus, I was piss drunk at the hospital when they had to tell us it was terminal and I don't even remember the last two months. The day of the memorial I was passed out in a bar, I didn't even…"

Ozpin leaned in, drawing Qrow into a hug, nuzzling his hair. "Sh," he said. "It's okay."

"I spent two years shit-faced, Oz," he confessed, "I can't ever get it back. Tai shut down, he was a fucking ghost, nobody was there to look after the girls. Even when Tai pulled himself out of it he couldn't be there full time, because there were all the medical bills to pay, he had to work and they were in _elementary school_. Fuck… _fuck…_ "

The storm broke, and Qrow broke, grabbing desperately at Oz as he was swept away in his own emotion, his own self-hatred. The veneer of being vaguely put together, of being the "cool uncle" - it only loosely covered these feelings. The self-deprecation, the "bi-disaster," the signs were all there, but even when Qrow was brutally honest about his past, about his dark times, the air of it being in the past always permeated his words. But, then, _Salem_ was in his past, and still she reached out from his nightmares to affect him in the now; it was only logical that the same would happen to Qrow, and Ozpin silently swore to himself that he would always be there for Qrow, to keep him from ever falling that far again.

The emotion eventually faded, but Qrow didn't let go even as the catharsis faded to numbness. Ozpin knew this feeling intimately well, and simply waited, rubbing his thumb along the back of Qrow's wrist, resting his head on his partner's, holding him through the pain.

"... I was so hung over…"

The words were mumbled into Oz's chest, he almost didn't make them out. He shifted his weight to give Qrow more space.

"All I wanted was a drink, but the girls had taken all the booze in the house and washed it down the drain, and I couldn't find anything. I was so fucking _mad_ , and nine-year old Yang walked right up to me and told me she did it. _Jesus Christ_ , a _fucking nine-year-old_ was smarter than me, but all I could hear was that the booze was gone and I-"

"Stop," Ozpin said, caressing Qrow's cheek. "You don't need to tell me this, you've come so far from-"

"Oz, you don't understand. Fuck. _I_ don't understand - I was so goddamned mad; I grabbed her wrist. I was gonna _fucking beat her_ for getting rid of the-" He couldn't finish the sentence. "Tai came home and pulled me off her, Ruby was screaming at the top of her lungs and I…"

"And it _didn't happen_ ," Ozpin said firmly.

"But it was _gonna_ ," Qrow insisted, shaking his head. "I didn't care. I didn't _fucking care_ , all I wanted was _fucking drink_. Only thing that stopped me was Tai giving the best damned uppercut of my life. Actually knocked some sense into me and I saw… _fucking Christ_ …"

"I know," Ozpin said, pressing his forehead to his lover's. "I know. I'm so sorry."

"They were _scared_ of me. Those two perfect little girls… I was a _fucking monster_ …"

"It was the addiction," Oz corrected. "It wasn't you, it was the addiction, the addiction was the monster."

"Oz…!"

The second storm broke, a shaky inhale dissolving into a wet grunt of pain, and Ozpin held him a second time, leeching as much of the pain out of Qrow as he could, rocking back and forth, ears burning with the confession. What had _happened_ to make Qrow relive such a dark moment in his life? He assumed it had something to do with the nieces, Yang and Ruby. The memory must have been dredged up for some reason, and Qrow had dropped everything to reassure them that it was all safe, that everything was okay. No wonder he had spent the night, and now, no longer needing to put on a face, he broke, raking himself over the memory and cutting open every scar and scab it created. _This_ was the Qrow who drank away his problems, too hurt to face even more pain, and too afraid to drink with such a haunting image etched into his memory.

All Ozpin could do was be there for him. He saw Oscar sneak down the stairs, silently asking how things were going. Ozpin shook his head, nodding that it would take more time. Oscar gave a thumbs up and went back upstairs.

Clover called at dinner, having heard from Tai, and asked if he needed to come over. Ozpin agreed readily, admitting he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

Qrow's sponsor came over and didn't even give Oz a second glance, moved to the living room and sat on the coffee table in front of Qrow, leaning in and saying something softly. Oscar was at the top of the stairs, and Oz moved halfway up to talk to his son.

"Qrow has had a bad day," he explained. "He is reliving his darkest memory and hating himself for it, but he will not fall to it."

Oscar nodded, hazel eyes drifting down the stairs. "I've never seen him like this," he admitted.

"Perhaps," Ozpin said, reaching up and touching his son's knee. "But you've seen a version of this: the day I saw your scars."

Oscar's eyes widened as he connected the dots, and his eyes went downstairs again. "Is that what he's reliving?" he asked. "His version of that day?"

"Yes," Ozpin said. "I cannot in good faith spin pretty words for this; he wants to drink because he wants to forget the pain, but he is smarter than he was in those days, and many people are making sure he doesn't fail. That is why Clover is here."

Oscar nodded. "I got a text from Ruby," he said quietly. "This all started at Blake's house. I guess Yang told everyone at school what happened last year." Dear god in _heaven_. "Blake was mad when she found out, and she brought up… she brought up that."

"... What a profound mess this is," Oz said, running a hand through his white hair. He took a deep breath through his nose and adjusted his weight. "Very well. This weekend I will pay a visit to the Belladonna's. I have to assume by then that Qrow will be in better straights."

"It's okay if he's not," Oscar said softly. "I'll watch him, make sure he's okay."

"Oscar…" Ozpin shuffled up two more steps to hug his son. "That's not your responsibility," he said. "Tai, Clover, and I will handle it. You focus on your schoolwork - hard as it is in times like these. The adults will figure out our own problems."

"Dad…"

"Please."

"... Okay."

Ozpin hopped back downstairs to see how Clover and Qrow were doing: Qrow was stretched out on the couch, back to the world. His sponsor saw Ozpin and stood to talk to him.

"It's bad," Clover said.

"I gathered as much," Oz replied. "He told me about the day of the intervention."

"I know. We all have to hit rock bottom before we can climb up, and that's his rock bottom."

"He painted a frightening picture."

Clover nodded. "It _was_ frightening. Tai called me right after it happened, he was this close to hurting himself. Like, _really_ hurting himself. I had to do some pretty fast talking to pull him back, and even then the thing that finally cinched it was little Ruby asking Qrow if there was a way for him to get better."

Ozpin winced just to hear it, let alone picture it.

"They're so happy now," he said softly. "Even with Qrow's brutal honesty it's hard to imagine…"

"I know," Clover said. "They've all come a long way. Especially Qrow."

"Thank you," Ozpin said, "for being there. For doing what you could."

Clover blinked, his green eyes wide, before he smiled. "You say that like you mean it."

Oz frowned, confused. "I do," he said.

Clover nodded to himself, as if confirming something. "You are something special, Professor. Look," he added. "Should I stay the night, or do you think you can handle it?"

"I think…" Ozpin frowned, considering the question. "Could I text you if I encounter a problem?"

"Yeah, do you have my number?"

Oz smiled. "Qrow has told me having your number would be a disaster."

A ghost of a smile crossed Clover's lips as he pulled out his phone. "Just for that I'm going to make sure that comes true," he said, "So expect some flirty texts when this is all over to rattle his cage. If you really want to see him hot and bothered, flirt back. It'll be good for him."

"I'm not sure I take your meaning, but I bow to your expertise," Ozpin said, programming his phone.

"I am _so_ telling him you said that," Clover said. He looked up when he was done. "Don't text me, call me. If it's really bad I know all the right words."

"Will it be _that_ bad?"

Clover looked over to Qrow, hiding on the couch, pensive. "... I don't think so," he said finally, turning to Ozpin. "After all, he has you."

* * *

Qrow became more of himself the next day, and more still the day after that. Oz and Oscar treaded carefully, but by the weekend Qrow was smiling, and Clover did indeed send a lascivious text that Ozpin promptly showed Qrow - coyly asking what it meant and watching his partner sputter and curse before calling his sponsor.

Taking that as a sign that they had turned a corner, Ozpin called the Belladonna's, learned more about what happened and also asked permission to stop by that weekend. He called Tai as well, to learn that he was handling Yang and Ruby and had the situation well in hand: including a _pointed_ conversation about privacy and agency to Yang in the same breath as soothing her over having such a dark memory trudged up and weaponized against her.

"What a holiday season," he said to himself as he drove to the Belladonna's. He couldn't even believe how close to the end of the semester it was - finals were coming up and he hadn't even written one yet. Sunday was going to be difficult. Still, he parked in the driveway and rang the Belladonna's door. Ghira let him in with a warm smile and offered him hot chocolate, which Ozpin took gratefully.

"How is Blake doing?" he asked.

"Back in school, thank goodness," Ghira said at first brightly but slowly fading. "I'm sure you heard about her fight with the Xiao Longs."

"Enough to know it was ugly," Ozpin said, "Ugly enough to affect the adults."

Ghira winced. "Kali heard it downstairs. I was at work. I'm mad at little Yang, but no one should have had that thrown in their face. Blake crossed a line."

"As did Yang," Ozpin said. "Moments of heightened emotion bring out the ugliest parts of ourselves." He held out his bread basket. "Sugar cookies," he said, "for the season. Yes, they are vegan. I used flax eggs."

"That's very kind of you," Ghira said, taking the basket. "Are you here as mediator?"

"I suppose that is one way to label it," Ozpin said. "I confess when I called asking to come by it was out of emotion: Qrow took the blow very hard when the fight came home, as he figures prominently in the story."

Ghira winced, pulling out the cookies and placing them on the counter. "I can only imagine," he said. "We had her talk to the crisis counselor, she stayed almost two hours, I think. There was a lot to unpack."

"Then my visit may indeed be superfluous," Ozpin admitted. "But no one can deny that Miss Belladonna has been through an ordeal, and I wanted to do what I could to help."

"At this point I'm not ashamed to admit I want all the help we can get," Ghira said with a sigh. "I know adolescence is meant to be a trial for both the child and the adult but… I feel Blake has gotten an unfair deal for this."

"Perhaps she's merely burning through the difficulties now," Ozpin offered lightly, "So that the later years will be smoother, conflict free."

"Ever the optimist I see," Ghira said with a weak smile. "She's upstairs."

"Thank you," Oz said. He grit his teeth at climbing the stairs, but he managed them, and knocked quietly on Blake's open door frame. "Well," he said, putting on a bright face, "This has certainly been an eventful week."

Blake was curled up on her bed, a book he had leant her, oh, back when summer started, in hand. _Beauty and the Beast_? Yes, perhaps that would work. "Professor…" She put the book down and immediately stood, pulling her desk chair over. "Here, put your foot up on the bed."

"Thank you," he said softly, taking a seat and doing as she offered. Blake reclaimed her spot on the bed, hugging her knees. "I was hoping that maybe we could have the chance to talk."

"Of course," she said.

"Wonderful," Ozpin replied. "I should start, I suppose, by saying I admire your drive. I don't know if you know this, but I was at the hospital the night of your… assault."

Immediately, she stiffened, her guard up. "... You were?" she asked.

"Yes," Ozpin said gently. "Qrow texted me at three in the morning, saying you and Yang were in the hospital. I came immediately to see what I could do. I'm not family, of course, so I could not go beyond the waiting room of the ER, but I stayed until Qrow came out to tell me the worst was over. We were all very, very relieved to hear that the worst had been avoided."

"... I see," Blake said, still so guarded.

Ozpin tilted his head, not exactly playing dumb, but needing to make a point. "Have I misunderstood something?" he asked lightly. "You are both alive, and as I understood it that was not a certainty for quite a while - particularly in regards to you. That is any parent's worst nightmare, and such a crisis was averted. Anything after that…" he gestured with his mug of hot chocolate. "But I have lost track. I was saying that I admired your drive. Tragedy befell you that no one deserved, and though it weighed you down it did not break you. You found a way to get back on your feet, go back to school, and regain echoes of your prior innocence."

Blake looked away, dark hair falling across her eyes. "You're wrong," she said softly. "I did break. I'm still broken."

"Ah, but aren't we all?" Ozpin asked. He paused, frowning, giving the question a moment to breathe. "But perhaps it is insensitive of me to say that right now. I do not mean to dismiss the pain you have suffered, and if I misspoke I apologize."

"No… it's fine, Professor."

Oz nodded, taking a sip of his chocolate. "A lesson I continue to learn in life, old as I am these days, is that our greatest lessons are told to us from time immemorial, often in the form of fairy tales. They are anecdotes, morals, ways to make children behave at first glance, but I find when one looks deeper, under that veneer, there are more profound lessons these tales can teach us. Take that book, for example," he said, pointing his chin to _Beauty and the Beast_. "Like many other fairy tales, it has hundreds of incarnations: from French surrealist film to animated musical to stage play. Even the lesson - presumably the one fixed part of a fairy tale - has changed over time. Sometimes the lesson is given to the Beast, to learn to be a better person in the face of true kindness, but originally the lesson was for the Beauty, to know that there is beauty in even the darkest of visages. While I find both morals to be problematic in modern times, I find the conflict keeps cropping up."

"I… don't understand," Blake said, letting go of her knees and letting them naturally cross, letting her guard down. "Problematic?"

"Yes," Ozpin said, playing with his cane with his free hand. "The lesson to the Beast - to be a better person, promises the reward of the Beauty, as if she is a prize to be handed out when certain progress markers are met. The lesson to the Beauty, that there is beauty in anything, was designed specifically so that women of the time would learn to love their fated husband regardless of how they were treated, because the beauty was in there somewhere. The lessons are optimistic but incomplete."

Blake was frowning now, mind turning to the puzzle.

"Here is what I would posit:" Ozpin said. "The true lesson is in the questions the tale brings up, it's central conflict: what is the true definition of beauty? What truly makes a beast?"

There, Blake's eyes flickered, and she put together some of what Ozpin was leading her to. She looked away, but her knees didn't lift up, meaning she was still open to further discussion. Ozpin let the moment hang, gave his student time to think, to process, to assimilate. Then,

"You know a beast, as I understand it," he said softly. This was where he needed to be the most careful.

"... Yes," Blake said. Her eyes darted down, but they sprung right back up. "I'm starting to realize how much of a monster he was."

" _... I was a fucking monster…_ "

Ozpin bled a little inside, but he focused on his lesson. "Tell me," he said, shifting his foot slightly, "What made you realize he was a beast?"

Young Blake took a breath, putting her thoughts together slowly. "He… he wasn't real," she said, frowning slightly. "Everything he told me was a lie. Everything he said was just a means to an end."

"Artifice, then. Insincerity. In this we can both agree, they are disreputable qualities. Their words, by design, are used to beguile even as in truth they are meant to cut deep. They leave scars," he said. Blake's hand went to her side, and his gaze softened. "Some of them can be seen, yes, but the worst ones are invisible."

Blake stiffened again, but instead of putting her guard up her gaze intensified, narrowing. "... What do you mean?" she asked, a leading question and one Ozpin was happy to answer.

"I mean that some scars are on the soul," he said, placing his chin on the pommel of his cane. "You are left changed, knowing that before it all happened you were different, perhaps stronger, and now you are unable to return to that younger, more innocent self. Your worldview is darker, more cynical, more distrustful. You gaze at people you thought friends and question their every motive."

"How…?" Blake hadn't put her knees up, but there was a layer of defense up - not a full guard, but the very mistrust Ozpin had just cited. "How do you know about that?" she asked.

Ozpin took a deep breath, letting his eyes close, remembering. "Because it happened to me," he said. "I met a beast pretending to be a beauty - and unlike you it did not end in one sudden catastrophe but a series of small needles to bleed me dry. Qrow knows it, too - he found a beast within himself that he didn't even know existed - and it scared him sober." He opened his eyes, giving Blake a soft but firm gaze. "That beast has recently been dragged up," he said pointedly. "I wonder what happened."

Blake looked down, guard crumpling as she realized another of the points Oz was leading her. "I'm sorry," she said, staring at her hands. "I didn't mean… it doesn't excuse it but the words just came out of me. I didn't even realize until after… I'm sorry; that it hurt Qrow, too."

"Perhaps you should tell him that," Ozpin said softly, gently. He removed his chin, straightening and looking Blake fully. "What is Beauty and what is Beast? The fairy tale plays with these ideas but none of its various permutations comes to a conclusion that I feel is complete, because it presupposes one or the other. The beauty of the inner soul: of humility and grace despite the poverty of the original Beauty, or the beauty of a Beast so twisted in physical deformity but still gentle and generous. These qualities the tale laudes regardless of its telling. I find, however, that the qualities it debases are overlooked in more recent iterations: the idea that the inner soul can be absent of ugliness in both Beauty and Beast is incorrect. The tale denounces the fawners and pretenders, the shrill sisters who want jewels and crowns, the huntsman consumed by his own ego."

"The villains," Blake said.

"No, the antagonists," the professor corrected. "They are not evil for the sake of it, as a villain would suggest. The fairy tale, in effect, is a commentary on the qualities of _one_ soul, spread out across different characters. It is only when that is considered that the lesson of _Beauty and the Beast_ is complete."

He paused again, gave young Blake a moment to consider his words. He remembered the tale of Goldilocks with Yang, and how carefully he had to maneuver that lesson, and later Snow White with Weiss. He watched his student carefully; she said a lot with her eyes, and he saw when her mind got stuck.

"... What are you saying?" she asked. "That everyone has a Beauty and Beast in them?"

"Yes," Ozpin said. "The fairy tale is a critique on what parts of the soul are Beauty and which are Beast. Moments like this," he gestured, "when we are cut to the quick, or bled dry, they bring those facets out into the open, and we have to examine them honestly. That night at the hospital, Qrow felt his Beast come out, and he called for help before it was unleashed. That night, Yang displayed her Beauty, she ran to save a friend in danger. That boy showed he was a Beast, and has actively squandered every moment of Beauty that might have been in him. But there are flip sides to those moments: Qrow showed his Beauty when he was humble enough to ask for help. Yang unleashed a Beast inside her to protect you."

"How do you know which is which, then?" Blake asked. "How do you know…?"

"That is a question for one of my lectures," Ozpin said with a soft smile, "and why I study philosophy." He shifted in his seat again. "Your very namesake, _bella donna_ , is a nod to Beauty, did you know that?"

"Yes."

"Then, now I must ask you: which part of you do you want others to see? The Beauty? Or the Beast?"

Blake looked down, hugging her arms - not a guard but a kind of defense, protecting herself as she admitted a hard truth. "I'm not sure that there's much beauty in me," she said. "Naïveté, maybe, stupidity. And… there is certainly a Beast." She looked up, her eyes dark. "I really am sorry. For what I said. I was… after everything that's happened, that was the first time I was mad. Weiss was telling me… I was finally starting to see the Beast in Adam, really see it, and I couldn't believe…"

She paused, took a breath. This was the moment, Ozpin could sense it.

"Yang… she told the whole school about what happened that night," she said, her voice small. "She just…" She shook her head. "Is that Beauty or Beast?"

 _Perfect_. Ozpin smiled and leaned forward again. "That," he said, "is the greatest strength and greatest weakness of humanity: it was both."

Blake snapped to attention, straightening in the shock of the sentence. "... what?"

"For the Beast: she took a deeply private moment and aired it out to the entire school, affecting your social standing in ways I know better than to suggest. On its face, it was a breach of trust and privacy and perhaps most importantly agency. She did not ask your permission to do what she did, nor did she seek your counsel. You are right to be angry with her - you _should_ be angry with her."

"But…?" she prompted.

Ozpin took a slow breath, choosing his words. "For the Beauty: she saw a dear, beloved friend being attacked on all sides by circumstances beyond her control. She saw you sick with anxiety, she saw you bleeding in an alley as I understand it, and she loves you enough that she wanted it to stop. The night of the assault she let out that Beast to protect you, and here with a faceless enemy she did not know where to point that aggression, and in her desperation to sooth your pain she caused more. Her beauty is in her heart, the compassion and empathy, her fierce desire to protect those she cherishes."

He slid his foot off the bed and stood, taking a moment for his hip to adjust to holding his weight. "I am in no position to offer counsel in such a situation," he admitted, grunting as he got up. "That is a deeply personal decision, and whatever you choose is the right decision for you. Thank you, Miss Belladonna, for listening to the ramblings of an old philosophy professor." He turned to leave, stopping briefly at the door and turning back to her. "It's good to see you doing better," he said softly. "Keep fighting, use your drive to lift yourself above these Beasts that haunt you."

He left her to her thoughts, navigating his way down the stairs to see if there was more hot chocolate. Perhaps Qrow would like some when he returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's word of the week: Fallout. Our big antagonists - Jacques, Salem, and especially Adam - tend to do a thing and then it ripples out to other people in the fic. Yang tries to do the right thing but realizes she did a wrong thing, and real drama comes up not just between them and Ruby/Weiss, but it reverberates to Qrow.
> 
> The scene with Qrow is another favorite; he feels really human here, and the memory is so dark but also so human and so intense and poor Oz is just trying to keep Qrow from self-destructing all over again even as his heart bleeds for him. Also, it's a blink-and-miss it line but it really says something when Oscar, who jumps at any whiff of a need to look after/take care of Oz, now jumps to look after/take care of Qrow. Those two have made a lot of headway.
> 
> Clover again steals his scene, but it's a softer steal compared to to the others, and unlike the others he gently gives the scene back to Oz with his last line - which... d'awwww.
> 
> And we get our third philosophical diatribe on the nature of fairy tales.
> 
> Next chapter: Weiss really shouldn't be ignored in all this drama, huh?


	26. Chapter 26

Weiss made sure to cc all parents involved, but she looked over the invitation one more time.

_You are cordially invited to a Bunny Hill Break over our vacation between Christmas and the New Year. Come enjoy skiing, snowboarding, cross-country, snowshoeing, dog-sledding, the possibilities are endless! Get away from drama, recharge your batteries, be somewhere no one knows you. The Schnee Siblings are inviting you with us to Mount Snow in southern Vermont to get away from it all!_

_(Seriously, this year has been awful, can't we end the year with fun?)_

_Please RSVP so that the older Schnee Sibling may make bookings appropriately._

One last onceover and Weiss hit send.

Then the texts started coming in.

_srsly, u sent an email?_

_OMG YES! I'M MAKING DAD REPLY RIGHT NOW!_

_really weiss? thank you so much! this sounds really fun, and youre right, we could all use it. yang is just about ordering dad to accept._

_rents arent home yt ill ask thn_

Of course, all of these messages weren't in the group chat. They were individual. Yang and Blake still weren't talking.

_OMG! YOU WEREN'T KIDDING ABOUT DOGSLEDDING! RUBY! WE'RE BRINGING ZWEI!_

Weiss chuckled as she walked into Winter's office. "Are Mr. Tai and the Belladonnas texting you?" she asked.

"Taiyang certainly is," Winter said, tapping at her phone. "They'll be coming. I don't think the Belladonnas have seen the email yet." Her face fluttered through a grimace. "The class-action suit is in court today, so I suspect Ghira is there and Kali is supporting. We won't hear from them till tonight. I believe this is the last day of the trial."

Weiss nodded. "Thank you," she said softly. "This year has been…"

Winter looked up from her phone and gave a soft smile. "I think a getaway over break is a fine idea. I'm still negotiating with father to bring Whitley along, but it seems doubtful."

Weiss nodded.

Honestly, she wanted time _away_. Time not being in the same town as her father. She knew that Blake was suffering because of her ex and the dropped photos, she knew that Blake and Yang were fighting and that Ruby was stuck in the middle, she knew that Professor Ozpin had faced someone from his past and it had been bad, leaving Oscar very upset, the professor with a too-short cane, and a fierce defensiveness, she knew that Oscar was still being bullied. But as much as she was there for all of her friends for all of that… Weiss sighed. She and Winter had been dealing with her father _all year_ , not just whatever bubbled up like the others. She felt like all of her other friends had had worse things happen to them, but Weiss was dealing with an endurance run and she was _tired_.

As it stood, because Winter wasn't a parent, she had to file for custody as a third party. It required three things. First, proof of relationship with the child. It was easy to prove siblings, and given that Weiss was already living with Winter, the strength of the relationship wasn't in question. That could not be said for Whitley, who still lived at home and didn't seem to understand that their father was toxic and evil.

The second requirement was the status of the parents. This was where Winter had to struggle. The whole reason was because their father was abusive. Unfortunately, because it wasn't physical abuse or sexual abuse, this was a lot harder to prove. They had to prove that Jaques was abusive and that Willow was a drunk. Most of the year had been trying to get a sufficient case built for this. Their mother was… the easier parent to prove unfit, even though that felt absolutely _awful_ for both of them given that they both understood _why_ their mom probably drank so much. As always, it was their father being so slimy that was the problem. He had a good home, they went to a good school, and Weiss had excelled for years. She still excelled. What they had was their own therapy and counseling sessions, but their father kept countering with his own experts.

The third requirement was the argument on why Winter should be raising her siblings instead. In that, Winter excelled, listing her earnings, home, prior involvement in their lives, and that she _wasn't_ in the middle of a scandal of neglect of workers of a company in a massive class-action lawsuit. Technically, that shouldn't affect custody rights, but Winter had added that in as a massive pattern of behavior of selfish narcissism along with all the texts and voicemails and emails that Weiss had kept and that Winter had kept, the reports from the therapists and counselors, and every single counterargument that could be thought of for whatever their father used to argue back.

It was a long process. The hardest part was proving why their father couldn't parent them because nothing he did ever left a mark. And as lawyers and mediators argued, sometimes Weiss had to spend time with her father.

It had… gotten better wasn't the right word, but Weiss was better at seeing his manipulations and tuning them out. She would sit there, say nothing, and avoid all sorts of engagement. If she was staying over for a weekend, she stayed in her room.

Thanksgiving had been… bad.

Mother had been drunk before they had even arrived, Whitley was clearly doing anything father told him to try and win the custody case, and then came the paper saying that Weiss had to stay through the weekend. Sprung on a holiday so that no lawyers or courts were open to counter it quickly enough. Winter had been livid and refused to leave, meaning that they were all under the same roof. Weiss hid in her room as she could, but father had several visitors come. People to interview her and talk to her. Professionals who were looking to lay a basis on why she should live with her father. Those meetings were difficult because Winter couldn't be in the room. "No influence" and all that. The joint meeting with Whitley was particularly hard, because Weiss forgot the professionals were in the room as she kept trying to explain why Whitley's repetitions of what their father said was manipulative and unhealthy, but he just kept repeating it and using their father's sort of comebacks.

" _Whitley_!" she had finally shouted. "You're supposed to be _Whitley_ , not Father!"

He'd looked surprised at that, before frowning and going back to repeating their father.

Weiss let out a heavy sigh.

Later, when she was reviewing some of her notes (midterms were a month away, time to start preparing) her phone pinged with an email. From Professor Ozpin?

_Alas, we are unable to attend such a delightful invitation. I have a very small, local, guest speaker circuit this wintersession, and Qrow will be looking after Oscar. We have already been arranging for weekends to get together wherever I'm speaking to enjoy the local flavor. We all thank you for your thoughtfulness._

Professor Ozpin was speaking again! Weiss giggled. She was sure Winter would want to go to such a speaking circuit. Maybe next time. Weiss was curious what made listening to the professor so meaningful for Winter.

Then was another email, this time from the Belladonnas.

 _We'd be happy to join you, your very kind for inviting us_.

Then a text from Blake.

_were cming_

" _Yes_!" she shouted, running back to Winter. "The Xiao Longs and the Belladonnas are coming!"

Winter gave a small smile. "I know. I just got off a conference call with all three of them. They agree to us forcing their daughters to talk." Winter looked to her. "You realize that this might be a miserable vacation if those two don't mend their friendship."

Weiss nodded solemnly. "I suspect the first few days will be rough. There are enough activities that they could probably avoid each other for the entire week up there. But…"

Yang wouldn't do that. Yang was too direct. Yang wouldn't be able to stand that kind of avoidance. Weiss knew this was a risk, but there'd be a confrontation there. She was sure of it.

"Just because they talk," Winter continued, "doesn't mean they'll mend."

"I know," Weiss said softly. It was something she didn't want to happen, but she knew it was a distinct possibility. "But it will at least clear the air. We'll all know where we stand with one another." And having even _that much_ would be so much better than walking on eggshells.

"Very well," Winter nodded.

"Thanks, Winter."

And her sister gave those rare, small smiles that said she was so proud of Weiss.

When going to the lake house, Weiss had known that Professor Ozpin was coming and that subjecting him to such a long drive would be a bad idea. Winter wouldn't hear of everyone coming separately, particularly since it was a home address, and had insisted on arranging for everyone to be picked up. Mount Snow, nestled in southern Vermont, was a well established ski lodge, with clear directions on the website. Add on that everyone had different traditions for Christmas and the like, Winter had decided against offering a ride.

Christmas was also another day that Weiss had to spend with her father. Whitley was unusually sullen and it was a miserable day. Their mother didn't even come down from bed, and Winter and their father were offering icy glares at every opportunity. When the evening came, Winter politely excused them to leave, once again tried to have Whitley come along, and was blocked by their father. They headed to the ski lodge that night.

Rather than skiing, Winter and Weiss had elected to lounge in the lodge to greet the others as they arrived. Both the Belladonnas and Tai had sent texts when they were on their way, and Weiss kept looking over every time the door opened and someone came to check in.

The first to arrive were the Belladonnas.

"Blake!" Weiss ran over as her friend was unwinding her scarf and held her tight. _Oh_ just seeing a friend after having to spend a day with her father! She needed this.

"Weiss!" Blake laughed, squeezing back. "It's good to see you too. Thanks for this. We really appreciate it."

No, Blake probably wouldn't once Tai came up with his family, but for now, Weiss just smiled. She squeezed into a hug again. "I've missed you!"

Blake laughed, "It's only been three days."

Weiss's smile cracked a little. "It may as well have been three years. But come on! Winter arranged it! You'll be just down the hall from us, come on!"

Chuckling, Blake unbuttoned her coat and turned to her parents.

"Go ahead, dear," Mrs. Belladonna said, shooing with her hand. "Here's the key. Go open it up for us while we chat with Winter."

"Come on!" Weiss dragged Blake along. "You should see the view! I've been exploring all day when I wasn't watching the doors for you to arrive."

"Exploring," Blake chuckled, "when did you get here?"

"Last night," Weiss glossed over that, getting them into Blake's room and running to the window. "See, you're on the same side of the lodge as us. Look at that view!"

"Last night?"

"Aren't the evergreens beautiful! On the other side you can see the ski slopes, but I like this view better."

"Weiss," Blake said heavily. "Yesterday was Christmas. You got here last night?"

She let out a sigh. "Yeah," Weiss said. "Yesterday was mandated to be with our father by the lawyers. Winter and I left as soon as we could. Father still has Whitley."

"Weiss…"

Weiss turned, pasting on another smile. "But this is about you! You're not back home, you don't have to worry about anyone who may or may not have seen anything. You have distance."

Blake, who had thrown her coat on one of the beds, came over and hugged her tightly. "You can't be Team Mom for us all the time," she said softly. "It's okay for you to need this break too."

Weiss hugged her back. She had _needed_ this.

"Okay, if we're doing serious girl talk, there's a fire we can sit by near the entrance."

"That sounds good," Blake nodded. "Get rid of all the bad stuff first, then we can relax till we have to go home."

That sounded perfect.

Weiss was going to whip out her phone to text Winter when the Belladonnas and Winter came in.

"I see you found the room swiftly enough," Winter said levelly, but her eyes were twinkling.

"Duh," Weiss replied, with complete eye roll. "I know that unpacking and getting organized is important, but Blake and I are going down to the fire to talk. I'll help her unpack later to make it up to her."

"Go on," Winter said. And winked.

Weiss glanced at Blake and they shared a smile.

They headed back downstairs, Blake clearly looking around to mark landmarks to learn her way around.

"Weiss!" came a shout as they walked into the lobby.

Blake slowly turned around to find a red hood running to them. "Weiss! We thought we'd be getting here ahead of you!"

And Weiss rocked back from the force of the hug.

"Blake?"

Yang had come over and was staring cooly at Blake, who looked surprised before a composed mask slid over her face.

"Weiss!"

"Ruby! Breathe! I need to breathe!"

"Oh yeah…"

Weiss gulped in the air. Then she turned and gave a flat look to Blake and Yang, pushing her side braid behind herself. "I know you two didn't realize the other was going to be here-"

"You didn't exactly share that information-" Yang growled.

"-but it has been an exceedingly long year-"

"I wanted to be away from her," Blake said softly.

"-and I needed all my friends here."

Both Blake and Yang were still glaring. Weiss squared her shoulders, pursed her lips and accepted it.

But Ruby just tackled her with a hug again. "Of _course_ we'd be here for you, Weiss! This custody battle has been going on for over a year! You must be exhausted of it."

Blake's face softened. "You were saying you needed to spend Christmas with your father?"

" _What_?" Yang growled. "That asshole has no business spending _any_ time with you."

Well, Weiss admitted to herself, at least things would be civil.

* * *

Tai spent the first day sampling the activities: skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and tubing. Of all of them he liked cross-country the most, once he got a good rhythm going he could turn off his mind and enjoy the scenery around him. When the day was done he was in the main lodge, spying Yang and Weiss talking in one of the couches, Blake reading by a window, and Ruby walking her way with two cups of hot chocolate. He grinned and took a picture, sending it to Qrow: _Make Sure Oz Knows He's Missing Hot Chocolate._

He got a smiley face and a thumbs up as a reply, and he chuckled as he made his way to the open bar.

Drinking had toned down a lot after college, he and Summer only really having any on anniversaries or holidays. It had disappeared wholesale after Qrow's rehab, and it was a really nice treat to have a beer in the afternoon without worrying about tempting somebody or being responsible to two kids. Kali was at the bar, taking two bottles of wine, and she turned and gave Tai a delighted grin.

"It's wonderful," she said at his questioning look. "We can have this at dinner," she said, holding up one bottle, "and then _this_ in bed," she held up the second.

Tai chuckled. "You'll have another kid if that's the case," he warned.

"And so what if we do?" Kali said brightly, sitting next to Tai as he ordered his beer. "It's a great way to relax and unwind. That's the whole point of this little retreat isn't it? The year has been long on all of us."

"That is the understatement of the year," Winter said, coming up to the bar, looking at her phone. She ordered a bottle of champagne. "But we finally have some good news. Tai, would you and Kali be willing to have your girls drink champagne in a controlled environment? I've just received some good news."

"About the custody?" Kali said brightly, straightening.

"No," Winter said, pulling her bun out and letting her hair cascade down. "About the class action lawsuit."

Tai frowned, looking across the way to his girls. "... not yet," he said after a long thought. "They're both smart enough to handle it responsibly but I don't want to introduce it too soon, especially not without my brother nearby to tell them what happens when things go too far. I was thinking senior year, before prom."

Winter smiled, setting up a series of flutes and starting to pour. "I understand," she said. "And I'll respect your decision."

"The same for me," Kali said, putting her two bottles of wine in a bag for transport. "Blake has been through enough, I don't think she's healed enough to handle it responsibly. But thank you for asking," she added quickly. "You're right, if the class action has finally settled that _is_ cause for celebration."

"Where's Ghira?"

"I'll go get him."

Tai grabbed the flutes and started putting them on a tray - he gave a wink to the bartender to communicate he had this. After the champagne was sparkling water for the girls - eight glasses total, and he helped Winter carry them over to the fireplace as Kali returned with Ghira, passing the flutes out appropriately. Tai saw Weiss practically buzzing in anticipation, his girls looking confused as Blake walked over for her flute.

Winter raised her glass. "As of two hours ago," she said, her rich alto voice carrying, "The judge decided for the Schnee Construction Company to pay thirty million dollars in settlements to the families of the class action suit."

" _Thirty million?_ "

"Yes," Winter said, lifting her glass. "Here's to a small measure of justice in the world."

"Here, here!"

"Wow, Weiss, I had no idea you were worth that much!"

"Does that come out of your savings or something?"

"No, it will be pulled from the companies profits, but really it's hardly a drop in the bucket…"

"You mean you're worth _more_?"

"Geez, I suddenly understand why you were so uppity when we first met."

"Yeah, what were you even doing at a public school?"

"Don't say that! Weiss, I'm really happy you were at middle school."

"Huh? Wait, I am, too, that wasn't what I meant!"

Tai smirked at his sunny dragon's faux pas, hiding it behind his champagne and they celebrated through dinner, everyone talking about the lawsuit and Winter answering any and all questions she was allowed to answer. Ghira talked brightly about going door-to-door getting signatures, the town hall they ran last summer to keep everyone in-the-know and informed. The girls concocted the idea of a daring last minute rescue, the lawyers in terrible danger before Ghira swept in at the last minute to save the day. He bellowed out a laugh, on his third glass of wine and leaned into the tale, posing and making grand gestures with his arms, Winter's frosty glare completely undermined by the small smirk on her face.

They separated out again, Tai taking one of the couches and Kali sitting next to him as they watched the show.

"He's enjoying this," Tai said, gesturing to Ghira.

"He is," Kali said, pulling her feet up to the couch. "Community organizers don't always get a lot of praise for what they do, this is good for him."

"Isn't that true of everyone?" Tai said, shaking his head and sipping his beer. "Teachers, professors, even a desk jockey like me, we don't usually get validated for all the hard work we do. I'm lucky, my team is really close knit and we're small. When the boss says she's lucky to have us, you know she means it."

Kali hummed, sipping her wine. "Blake was saying this morning that Weiss has had it really hard this year."

"Yeah, Ruby and Yang, too. I'm gonna have a talk with her later, show all that Big Dad Energy Qrow says I have. Did you know those four took a vow when they were in middle school? Had a sleepover and they all swore to each other that they were sisters. I've been solemnly told that I'm all of their dads, since Jacques is such a jerk. You're the mom, since my girls don't have one and Weiss' is… ill."

"Well, then 'honey,' what can we do to make all those girls happy?"

Tai shook his head. "Hell if I know," he admitted. "It's so easy when they're that young. Poof, I'm all their dad and you're all their mom."

"I think I spent almost as much time with Weiss when she was living with us as I did with Blake," Kali said, shaking her head. "That girl had so much to unpack. I stretched her out on my massage table that first week, just to find where the worst knots were, and she was sobbing in less than ten minutes of work. All that emotion trapped in her body…" She tipped her wine, taking a longer draw. "I gave her a massage every week to try and pull out all of that stress. Winter, over there," she added, jutting her chin, "She won't let me massage her, but you can tell how much she holds in."

"Yeah," Tai said, looking at Winter. Even now, at a ski lodge, with thirty million in settlements, she was at full posture, glancing at her phone as the evening wore on, checking her work. "... we all get like that, don't we?" he said, thinking. "So focused on putting on the right face for the right people, and looking out for everyone before we look out for ourselves."

"That's why I got two bottles of wine," Kali said. "Ghira pushes and pushes and pushes, but sometimes he can't find an outlet, and he can be an absolute _beast_ if he doesn't let it out once in a while. He thinks I hold those New Years parties to empty the alcohol in the house, did you know that?"

"Qrow told me, last year," Tai said. "Something about expiration dates."

Kali smiled. "It's really for him," she said. "He knows I like a rough ride sometimes, but he's so big and so afraid he'll hurt me, so I give him a safe space to let loose and have the time of my life as a bonus."

Tai couldn't help snorting. "Sounds pretty devious."

"Oh, he knows all about it," Kali said. "I explain it to him every morning, and for all his protests he loves it just as much."

"It's good to have that kind of relationship," Tai said, wistful. "Where you get each other so completely." Summer started to fill his mind, after Ruby was born and they were really starting to find their groove. She was a natural: slayer of imaginary beasts and baker of cookies. Going out for a walk was an adventure, cracks in the sidewalk turned into insurmountable canyons that needed the power of love and friendship, neighbor's dogs were trolls that needed to be tricked with treats, and puddles were just bits of lost clouds, meant to be splashed on to send the water back up to their home.

The prick of loss stung, and he sipped his beer.

Kali was watching him, and shifted her weight on the cushion of the sofa. "Tell me about her," she said.

"... what?"

"Tell me about her. Their mother. Like you said: looking out for everyone before we look out for ourselves. I'm starting to realize you never talk about her."

"... I guess I don't," Tai said, glancing down at his can. "After she passed… we all kind of fell apart. I fell into a depression and Qrow started to really drink after that. It was two years before we could put ourselves back together, and by then we were both so brittle…"

"I understand," Kali said. "When did you know you loved her?"

"After Ruby was born," Tai said, jutting his chin to his youngest. "Raven was long gone by then, and the Poledina mess had only just been closed. Qrow was trying to figure out how to fit back in our lives, and we were all at the park by the Lutheran church off of Main. The girls were on the swingset, happy as clams, but Qrow was trying to figure out if they were going to get hurt or not. Summer turned to him and said, 'if you're that scared just make sure you kiss the owies away.'" Tai laughed at the memory. "Two seconds later Yang tried to fly off the swing - and I swear, she must have made eight feet in the air before she landed on the grass. Qrow was convinced she'd broken every bone in her body but Summer just smiled and walked over: 'Did you find any owies?' she asked, and Yang said yeah, on her butt."

Kali snorted.

"Summer called Qrow over and told him - straight faced - that he had to kiss Yang's butt." Tai tilted his head back, smile open on his face. "She was the first and only woman I ever saw who got Qrow to do something like that. I was jealous when we were in college, thought it meant something, but while Qrow was kissing the owie she came right up to me and said, 'I have an owie, too. On my lips.'"

"Oh, that's so sweet," Kali said, sipping her wine.

"I knew right then I had the perfect woman," Tai said, before catching himself. "No offense."

"Absolutely none taken," Kali replied. "She sounds amazing."

"She _was_ amazing," Tai agreed. "I don't know where she got all the energy, up at all hours to feed the girls, cooking, cleaning, planning date night for us. I kept trying to match her: come home with flowers to take her out to a movie or something, but… I don't know… I don't feel like I ever gave as much as she did."

"You did," Kali said, reaching out and touching his shoulder. "I'm sure of it. You did."

Tai shook his head, still doubtful. "She was the best of us. Wasn't fair, losing her. It'll be nine years come March, but sometimes…"

"It still feels like yesterday."

"Yeah…"

The two of them watched the kids, talking and bubbly, Ghira sitting next to Winter and reminiscing over a job well done.

"Do you think you'll marry again?"

Tai looked over. "What?"

Kali leaned in. "Do you think you'll ever marry again?" she asked.

"I've thought about it," Tai answered. "But I don't think I could handle a third loss. Raven - that broke down long before she left, then Summer… even if I found someone…"

"It would destroy you," Kali said, nodding. "If anything ever happened to Ghira… I understand. Someday I'll tell you how we met at a protest."

"You always say that, but then you never do."

Kali smiled, like a cheshire cat. "Ghira swore me to secrecy, but it's fun to tease him. There _might_ have been a night in jail as part of the story."

Tai laughed. "Sounds like the four of us," he said. "Qrow always threatened the story about the thong and corset, but he knows I'll disown him if he ever says anything."

"Ah, the things we do for the ones we love," Kali said, finishing her glass of wine. "Okay," she said brightly, getting up and addressing the children. "Since Tai and I are all of your parents, we've decided it's time for the children to go to bed. Ghira, that means you, too."

"... what?" Ghira asked, and Tai saw the cheshire grin again.

"I mean my other husband over there and I are putting the children to bed."

"Your _what_?"

"Okay guys," Tai said, getting up. "Team Mom has spoken, and now Team Dad is enforcing. All of you guys are going to bed."

"Blake, are you going to sleep with Weiss tonight?"

Blake looked like she was about to protest, but apparently she knew her mother very well, and smiled. "I hadn't asked her yet," she said, putting on sheepish airs.

"Of course you're welcome! Winter, tell her she's welcome!"

"... You're welcome."

"There, see? It's all settled! I'd wanted to ask you something about the boy you showed me in your album. The one with the blue hair."

"Neptune? He's my cousin Sun's best friend…"

Tai saw Yang glaring across the way, her cheeks pink. The crush Qrow kept talking about, no wonder it was so messy between them. He glanced at Ruby and she shrugged her shoulders. No helping it, it seemed. But, then, that didn't mean Tai was above teasing. "Don't worry," he said brightly, throwing a hand on his oldest's shoulder. "We can lock you in a room with Blake tomorrow night."

"Wh-what? _Dad!_ "

"You're right, I should check with the Team Mom. Hey, Kali!"

"Yes, 'honey'?"

Ghira: " _Honey_? Kali…!"

"Yang wants to know if she can sleep with Blake tomorrow night."

" _I did not!_ "

"Hm… ask me in the morning after I put _this_ boy to bed."

Tai laughed. "Got it, 'sweetie.'"

" _Dad_ , could you stop being _weird_ for _two seconds_!"

"Just let me know when, my sunny dragon. Just let me know when."

* * *

Ruby rubbed at her eyes again. She had just gotten up and Yang had already claimed the shower. Their dad was already up, dressed for the day, looking through the brochure to decide what to try. Ruby had her own plans for the day, but she wasn't sure it would work or not.

Time to enlist back up.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Ruby?" her dad looked over. "What's up?"

"I think a Daddy-Daughter Day is due."

And her dad smiled broadly, delight in his eyes. "Really? Oooh, what do you want to do? Yang's gotten more sporty, so snowboarding?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, Dad, you and Yang need a Daddy-Daughter Day."

Her dad frowned. "Daddy-Daughter Day has always been the three of us," he said softly. "Why just me and Yang?"

"Because…" Ruby bit her lip. "Because Yang is stewing. She wants to make up with Blake but Blake is too hurt to deal with her. I'm worried that Yang… Might do something reckless."

"And you need me to pound some sense into her."

Ruby gave a nervous chuckle. "Maybe? Sparring has always been helpful, but Yang looks like she's going to explode if ever Blake is in the same room."

"I'll handle it," her dad nodded. "What about you? If this Daddy isn't watching out for this Daughter, what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to talk to Weiss," Ruby replied. "With everything that's been happening for Blake, which has been very loud and sudden and extra dramatic, she's been sucking up all the support we have. Weiss needs support too."

Nodding, her dad grabbed his phone. "I'll text Winter that you're joining them. I also let the Belladonnas know that I'll be taking Yang snowshoeing, so they should avoid it."

"I think they were planning on dogsledding?" Ruby tried to remember. "Or at least they were interested on seeing if the dogs were treated well."

Her dad laughed. "Then they can take Zwei with them."

At her feet, Zwei barked excitedly.

"Sounds like a plan!" Ruby smiled.

"What's a plan?" Yang asked, coming in and toweling her hair. "Ruby! You're awake! Finally, the shower's free."

"Kay!"

Right. Now she could spend the day with Weiss without the drama of her sister and Blake to get in the way. Once she'd showered and had breakfast, she went down the hall to Weiss and Winter's room and knocked.

Winter answered the door, already dressed for the day and gave the barest hint of a smile. "You're in luck," she said in her usual monotone. "Weiss just came back from her morning jog."

Ruby groaned. "A jog? On vacation?"

That twitch of a smile. "It keeps one in shape."

"Bleck. Better to run around all day long, _then_ it's not a chore."

"Hn."

Still, Winter let her in and Ruby stepped in to see Weiss rebrushing her hair.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried out, running over for her signature tackling hug.

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped in surprise. "Breathing!"

Ruby gave an extra squeeze before sitting back. "Morning!"

"Good morning," Weiss replied through great gulps of air.

Ruby chuckled.

"I understand from Mr. Xiao Long that you are accompanying us today." Winter stated, looking at her phone.

"Yup!" Ruby said brightly. "Dad and Yang are having a Daddy-Daughter Day. So I thought I'd hang with you!"

"A Daddy-Daughter Day?" Weiss said flatly, even as her lips twitched to prevent a smile.

"Yup! It's a sacred Xiao Long-Rose tradition!"

Weiss just chuckled. "We're going cross-country skiing today."

"Perfect!" Ruby said, arms flying into the air with enthusiasm! "This is going to be so much fun! Let me go put on my snow gear!" She raced from the room.

An hour later there was an established pattern. Winter would go from marker to marker and wait for them there before moving on. It gave Winter more of a workout and let Weiss and Ruby talk. So far, most of it had been Weiss _insisting_ on Ruby's study schedule. ("Are you kidding? Midterms are three weeks away, we need to start studying now!") But that was fine for Ruby, it let Weiss unwind a little bit.

They came in sight of the next marker and Winter waved at them, turning to head off to the next marker.

Ruby took a breath. "How much longer for the custody case?" she asked, aiming to cut to the heart of the stress.

Weiss went quiet. She was quiet all the way to the marker. They paused for a moment, and Ruby took the time to pull out her water bottle from inside her snowsuit and take a sip.

"We don't know," Weiss finally said. "Every time Winter thinks she has it won, Father's lawyers pull out a different argument. We've been at this for _over a year_."

"That must be hard," Ruby said softly.

"It is," Weiss said. She sniffed and started skiing again. Ruby stayed by her side. "I think Whitley is part of the problem. Father has him so programmed to be the perfect little boy that he doesn't realize he isn't Whitley anymore, just a mini-Father. I keep trying to explain, but…"

"But he still lives there and your dad undoes it."

Weiss nodded. "I've been through enough therapy and counseling that I can see what Father is doing. Whitley hasn't seen any of that. I think if Winter was just fighting for custody of me, we'd have already won. It's clear to anyone I speak with that I don't wish to be with Father."

"But you two don't want your brother to suffer under your dad."

"No."

They skied further along.

"Whitley..." Weiss said quietly, "Whitley used to be so different."

"How so?" Ruby asked quietly."

"Winter's the oldest, she's had to put up with Father the longest. But before Father started getting her under his thumb, she enjoyed writing. I remember finding all these little stories that she wrote when she was younger. I always enjoyed music. Playing the piano, singing. When Winter sent home lyrics for a song, I obsessed over playing it. Father just saw it as cheap entertainment for any guests he had over. As for Whitley…"

Weiss paused, looking through the woods and then up to the bright blue sky. "Whitley loved art."

"So all of you are artists," Ruby said softly.

"Yeah." Weiss pushed off to start skiing again and Ruby kept up. "I remember, when he was seven, maybe eight… I think I was ten, Winter had come home for Christmas from college. The two of us gave Whitley a set of watercolors. He'd always been drawing his own comic or cartoon characters, so we thought maybe he could branch out. We gave it to him when Father wasn't around. He smiled so much…

"I remember when I was smaller, Mom would play this old artist called Bob Ross and in a half-hour he'd have a full painting done. Some landscape or something. It always put me to sleep, but Whitley loved it."

Ruby smiled, trying to picture it. She didn't know Whitley very well, but a child fascinated with art? That didn't take much imagination.

"Whitley was getting good with the water color," Weiss continued, sniffing again. "I still have this painting he gave me of a pond in the winter under a dawn sky. I mean, he was maybe ten? He wasn't really the next da Vinci, but… He was working at it. Then Father found out he was painting."

"He didn't approve?"

"That's the thing," Weiss growled. "He never approves unless he chooses it. He didn't want Winter to pursue writing so she entered school to learn business and law. He didn't like me singing unless it was what he chose at the functions he holds. And Whitley… Father threw away all his art supplies."

" _What_!?"

"He told him that no man paints or uses watercolors. Men build things and men do things. Painting and artsy stuff was too feminine for a real man." Weiss was growling and sniffing in the cold.

"How could he _say_ that?" Ruby gasped. "Doesn't he realize that most of the famous artists are men?"

" _Gay_ men, he'd say," Weiss sniffed again. "And he didn't want Whitley to be anything other than a man's man who'd run the company."

"That's _horrible_!"

"I know!"

They came in view of the next marker and Winter nodded, heading off again. But Weiss was slowing down.

"Sometimes I _hate him so much_ ," Weiss's voice was full of emotion, somewhere between anger and sorrow. She came to a stop and just hunched down. "I gave Whitley watercolors this year…" she said brokenly. "And Whitley said he didn't have time for such feminine things."

"Weiss…"

She looked at Ruby with tears in her eyes. "That's not Whitley anymore!" she sobbed. "I just want my brother back! I don't want him under Father anymore! I want…" But Weiss just crouched down and cried.

Ruby crouched down next to her as best she could on the skis and hugged her close.

"It'll be okay, Weiss," she said. "Your sister will win the custody fight. Then you can start helping Whitley get better."

"But what if we _don't_?" Weiss sobbed. "What if this is just how Whitley is now? Cold and ruthless and another version of Father?"

Ruby bit her lip. Remembering something different. "Then you stage an intervention?"

Weiss looked up. "What?"

"Yang and I, you heard that we had an intervention for Uncle Qrow?"

Weiss nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Ruby looked down at their skis in the snow. "I've researched interventions since then. I mean, yeah, they're supposed to be someone who's addicted and to break through the addiction to the person who's been poisoned by it, but… I don't see why that can't work for your brother. He's being poisoned by your dad. So stage an intervention. Explain why he can't keep taking your dad's advice, explain how it's doing harm and damage. An intervention is about making someone see the harm they do and I don't think your brother understands that yet. The big thing is to have as many people there as possible to get through. Yang and I… we didn't understand that. It was just the two of us and we didn't say the right words. Uncle Qrow got mad and then Dad got dragged in. I remember a lot of shouting. But Uncle Qrow got help. So can Whitley."

Weiss shook her head, and gave a watery smile. "You make everything sound so simple."

"Because it is!" Ruby smiled brightly standing. "You don't skip a grade if you're an idiot!"

Weiss chuckled, standing. "You're an idiot."

"Weiss!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand now we get to fix everything we broke in the last few chapters.
> 
> We feel a little bad for Weiss; her kind of arc is about endurance, as a writer you either go into every blow up and make the reader suffer the same emotional exhaustion or you establish the baseline and just poke at it from time to tome; which is what we did here. We lived through a version of her arc and did not feel inclined to going into all the grimy details, but we didn't want to forget that she was going through a lot this year with a custody battle. Despite that she still tries to play support for everyone else, poor kid. But on the up side the others are wise to her and won't let her fall too far.
> 
> Tai and Kali get to interact, and instead of Best Supporting Character Tai finally gets to be a character of his own as we tried to come up with the most saccharine love-memory we could come up with. Also, question - what fairy tale is Kali based off of? We went for chesire cat and realized way later that that's probably not right. Also, show-writers, please find an excuse to get all the parents together in a scene, we really want to see how they all interact.
> 
> Everyone gets some support with this chapter and the next chapter as we slip the switch back to fluff - we even get half of the story of Jacques Schnee's downfall with the class action suit victory, huzzah!
> 
> Next chapter: more fluff. Also, what's this about a speaking circuit for Oz...?
> 
> Also... the midseason has been out for a week, can we finally talk about Season 8 without spoiling people? Because HOLY GOD, remember when we all thought Volume 7 was stressful? What naive fools we were...
> 
> Hope everyone had a happy holiday if they celebrated yesterday! And if you don't celebrate, we hope you had a great day yesterday regardless!


	27. Chapter 27

Yang came down from her room and looked for Blake in the main area of the ski lodge. She was gone, as were the other Belladonna's. Yang sighed, somewhere between frustrated and glad. For three weeks they had avoided each other in school, and Yang didn't know what to do. Her hands were shaking more, and she was irritable, easy to get mad. She knew she was taking it out on the wrong people, Ruby had talked to her twice, and it wasn't that Yang wasn't trying - but when she did seek out Blake in school… she couldn't find the words.

A lot of people found reasons to talk to Blake for the month of December - Velvet and Cocoa had asked to see her during lunch and they spent the entire time huddled in a corner of the cafeteria. When Blake came back… she just glared at Yang and didn't say a word. More than a few people found a way to catch Blake and ask if she was okay, and she shut them down every time, saying she was _fine_ when it was obvious she wasn't fine. Yang in turn was stuck - she wanted to help _so much_ , but she couldn't figure out how, and the last time she did she'd made everything worse.

Frowning, she sat on the couch and pulled her hair up into a tail. She was in such a _mood_.

"Ah! There you are!"

Yang looked up. Her dad was there, wrapped up in his brown winter coat and a knit hat with a pompom of thread on top. He carried two sets of snowshoes.

"Daddy-Daughter Day!" he said brightly, tossing her one of the pairs. "You and I are going snowshoeing."

"... what?"

"Well," he said brightly, "it's either that or sit around here moping, and I know how much you hate that."

He… wasn't wrong. Grudgingly, Yang got up to get her coat.

The snowshoe trail had a few other people, but they were pretty spread out, and the weight of the snow kept sound small, local, hard to carry. Yang put one foot in front of the other, the cold air crisping her lungs, and her father kept pace, half racing her, until they hit the halfway marker. Yang was breathing heavily through her nose by then, Dad the same, and they stopped a moment. Honestly Yang could have kept going, she liked the thought of pushing herself, but Dad was old and wanted a break.

"Say that again and I remind you who refurbished the kitchen - by himself - when you were in seventh grade."

Yang rolled her eyes. "It was three years ago, Dad," she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, and three years is all it takes to make me _old_?" he asked brightly. "Sounds to me like you broke some brain cells when I wasn't looking."

"Get over yourself."

"No, get over _your_ self," Dad said, lightly punching her shoulder. "Isn't that what _I'm_ supposed to say? Use all my Big Dad Energy to get you to talk to Blake?"

"Oh, my god, is _that_ why we're out here?" Yang asked, instantaneously frustrated. "So you can ambush me over my telling the school about the assault?"

"No," Tai said, "I'm ambushing you so you can figure out what to say to apologize."

Yang turned bright red, and she crossed her arms and turned around. "I'm not a kid anymore," she said hotly. "I can figure it out for myself."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because."

Dad smirked. "Because why?"

" _Because_ ," Yang insisted, frustrated. Dad put a hand on her shoulder though, she could feel it through the coat, and she sighed. "... I'm scared," she admitted. She looked up to her dad, and all he did was smile, softly, and nod. "I just… she was so mad. All I was doing was trying to help her and…"

Dad nodded again, and he squeezed her shoulder. "It hurt," he said, "Dragging the intervention up. None of us were at our best that day, and reliving it sucks."

Yang shook her head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I want to help her so bad, but it's like she won't let me."

"Then don't help her."

" _Dad_ , how can I _not_?"

"Oh, Yang," he said, "You're so off balance."

"What? No I'm not!"

"Okay then: how about predictable? Or stubborn? Or boneheaded?"

"... how is this supposed to help me to talk to Blake?" Yang asked, defensive.

"Because if you don't see what you're doing," Dad said, "you're going to make the same mistake all over again. And next time it might do even more damage." He gestured, and they started walking the trail again. "Here's the thing, little dragon, you have your mom's stubbornness."

Yang froze to hear the sentence. "My mom's…"

"Kali pointed it out the other night," Dad said. "Even after so much therapy we don't really talk about the stuff before Summer, and I think maybe it's time we should. Here's the thing about Raven: she was great, in so many ways: her strength, her ambition, she was so _fierce_ when it came to the people she cared about, and you have all those qualities."

Yang shook her head as she moved through the snow. "But isn't that a bad thing?" she asked. "Mom didn't really care about anyone - she never wrote from jail, she dumped me as soon as she had me, she… she did those things to the Poledinas." She couldn't say it yet, even after two years of coming to terms with it. She couldn't say out loud that her mother was...

"Here's the thing about people," Dad said, still walking. "They're a lot of things. Sometimes they're _all_ the things, and _all_ the time, or they're some of the things some of the time, or none of the things. Raven was complicated, the same way Uncle Qrow is complicated. Qrow got the help he needed - and you're the one who gave that to him, with your intervention."

Yang winced, the memory still hard.

"Like everybody, Raven had her faults. It wasn't even that she had faults, I would say, so much as she didn't learn from them. And those faults tore the four of us apart, and it hurt our family. Raven was determined to be strong in the face of everything, and she was so focused on that, that she never learned the value of being soft, and she never learned how to handle someone who _was_ soft. She wasn't abusive because she got mad or had a warped view of the world - Uncle Qrow does too but I let you see him all the time. The thing that made her abusive was that she didn't change, she didn't learn from her mistakes, and instead of facing them she ran away."

"Dad, I don't want to _run away_ ," Yang insisted, shaking her head. "I just… I don't know what to say."

"But that's what I'm trying to tell you, Yang," Dad said, reaching over and giving her a side hug. "You and Raven both act like the easiest way to tackle a problem is through it. You staged your intervention with Uncle Qrow, you ran your bike over that Adam Taurus kid, and you shouted to anyone who'd listen that Blake-"

"Don't say it," Yang said, wincing.

Dad nodded, letting go of the side hug so he could walk easier in the snow. "You want to fix the problem, Yang," Dad said. "And it's a statement of how big your heart is that you do. I love you for it. You know what the hardest thing for me to learn in therapy was? It was that sometimes it's not up to you to fix a problem."

Yang frowned, thinking back to her dusty memories of therapy. "When…?"

"Before the intervention," Dad said, "So you might not remember. I'd already found Clover, and so many nights I would go out looking for Uncle Qrow and try and drag him home. We got into more than one fight, because he wanted to keep drinking. I was sick with worry, but Clover had to tell me: getting help wasn't up to me. It was up to Qrow."

"I don't understand," Yang said.

Dad nodded, exhaling a plume of vapor and looking at his daughter. "Look at it this way," he said, "What kind of help did Raven want? None. What kind of help did Uncle Qrow want? None, at first. It wasn't until you and Ruby pointed out that he had a problem that he was willing to ask for help. Even then, Clover had to come over and do some really fast talking to pull him back from the edge. Did I need help? Yes, but how long did it take for me to realize I needed help?" His face soured, and he looked away. "I'll always regret how much was put on you back then," he said softly, the cold air struggling to carry the sentence. Yang reached out, touched her dad's arm. He side hugged her again, and he missed his next step and toppled into the snow, dragging Yang with him.

They both sat in the snow, staring at each other, before they chuckled and moved to get up, dusting the snow off their outerwear.

"The most important thing in helping someone," Dad continued, "is that they are okay with you helping them. Uncle Qrow and I both had to figure out that we needed help first before we could ask for it. Weiss had to figure out something was wrong before she asked for help. Blake is trying to figure out more things than anyone her age should be asked to figure out - and unlike Uncle Qrow and me she knows something has to be done. She doesn't always make the right decisions - but neither did me and Uncle Qrow. Blake has a whole army of people who want to help her: her parents, her counselor, you and Ruby and Weiss, Uncle Qrow and me and the professor. She's choosing how to get the help she needs."

"But what if she chooses wrong?" Yang said. "She was perfectly fine with letting the whole school think she was some kind of slut instead of letting them know-"

Dad held up a hand. "But that was _her_ decision. She had to take the time to even _process_ that a picture was leaked before she could figure out what to do. And now we'll never know what she _would_ have done, because you decided _for_ her. You saw a problem and you jumped in to fix it _without_ asking Blake how or if she wanted it fixed. Helping her isn't taking the problem away, helping her is listening to her - _really_ listening to her, and asking her what she needs."

The rest of the trail was without comment, Yang processing everything her Dad said. Back at the lodge she saw Blake, in an oversized purple sweater and one of her cat-ear headbands, reading a book.

"Hey, Kali! Ghira!"

"Tai, how was the snowshoe trail?"

"Heavy for reasons that have nothing to do with snow. Wanna see what's on the menu for lunch?"

"Of course, Ghira, come on. It will take all three of us."

"Wait, it will? Honey what…?"

Yang rolled her eyes, they weren't exactly subtle, but she took a deep breath as she pulled off her hat and coat, stamping the snow out of her shoes. Pulling her hair loose and letting it cascade down, she moved over to Blake, and sat on the chair next to her.

"Hey," she said softly.

Blake closed her book. "Hey," she said.

"... did your parents talk to you?"

"Yeah. Your dad?"

"... yeah."

Silence.

"... I'm sorry," Blake said, looking down. "You told me about the intervention in confidence. I shouldn't have thrown it in your face like that."

Yang fumbled, not expecting Blake to apologize so fast. Guess Dad wasn't the only one throwing advice around. "I'm… sorry, too," she said, looking down at her hands. They were starting to shake again, and she fisted them, tried to make them stop. "Dad was telling me, a lot of people are around to help you, and you have to choose how and when you'll take the help. I just… I saw you hurting so much, and I wanted it to stop…"

"I know," Blake said, worrying her hands, still not looking at Yang. "Professor Ozpin talked to me. A lot of people have been talking to me…"

"...must be hard," Yang offered, staring at the arm of her chair.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," Blake said. "It depends on who it is, I guess. Weiss listens. So does Mom. Dad kind of wants something from you when you talk to him, you can tell he's staging. It makes him a great speaker at protests but… Professor Ozpin - he's funny. He has this way of talking that makes you think at the same time, and he doesn't keep hitting you with the point. He just says his peace and doesn't bother you again. My counselor - I have to talk to him, and he listens really well, but he's supposed to, too, and that makes it hard sometimes."

Yang squirmed in her seat, conspicuously aware that she hadn't been mentioned. "I want to listen. You know… if you want…"

Blake finally looked up, her eyes a little wide, surprised. She smiled, and a pool burned deep in Yang, and she bit down on the change, turning red in the face.

"It's been hard," Blake said, running a hand through her hair. "I kind of understand Adam better, and the more I do the more I'm mad. That's good… I think?" She shook her head. "I don't want him to manipulate me again. I know that. And I don't want to fall for his games. But if I don't play his games then I have to pay a price with those pictures. All I can think about is the 'more where this came from.' I keep thinking back to that night to see if I can remember him taking the pictures but…"

She shuddered.

Yang reached out and grabbed her hand. Blake… didn't pull away.

"The worst part of that night," Yang said, staring at their hands. "Was when I found you. I heard you screaming… and it was dark but I could see all this blood… and I just snapped. All I wanted to do was protect you…" Her hands started to shake again, and she took a breath. "At the hospital, there was that accident on the highway, and nobody was there for anything. I had all this time to sit there alone - they tried to get Dad in to see me but it was hours before they finally got him in - and I was just _sitting there_ , with no idea if you'd…"

Her vision blurred, and a hand covered the one she had one Blake. She sniffed, looked over, saw that Blake was holding her hand just as much as she was holding hers. Yang wiped her eyes.

"All I can see is how much you're hurting," she admitted, and her voice was watery. "And Adam isn't here for me to run over with my bike again, and I don't know how to make it stop…"

"You can't stop it," Blake said. "Nobody can stop it except me. I have to be the one to stop hurting, and sometimes I worry that I never will. But… I swore to myself that I wouldn't run away anymore." Her hands squeezed Yang, and she looked up, meeting Yang's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm so tired of running away, of letting all the fear take over. Being angry, it helps. I feel like I can stand my ground better."

"Getting angry helps me, too," Yang admitted. "It gives me focus, but my dad reminded me - sometimes I don't always think through my decisions. I was perfectly okay with running away to the court to see my Mom, and I wasn't thinking about what I was doing to Ruby. I yelled at Uncle Qrow during the intervention, and things got really, really bad. Even with… even with Adam, I didn't even think. I just…"

"Yang…"

"I did it again with the picture," Yang admitted, and her cheeks got wet with the confession. "I just wanted you to stop hurting, and instead…"

"... you wouldn't have had to, if I didn't keep shutting you out," Blake said, and her head dipped down. "I just… I didn't know how to react to any of it. Adam had my head all turned around, I still think my parents won't understand and then they do and… I used to love participating in class, I loved raising my hands, and I never had a problem talking to people; but now I hardly recognize myself, and every time I get close to being my old self, he texts me. I just want him out of my life…"

A tear pipped onto the arm of the sofa. Yang adjusted her seat, leaning forward and taking their cluster of hands with her free hand.

"I'm sorry," Yang said. "I'm sorry I can't even do anything."

Blake sniffled, looking up and Yang saw her wet cheeks.

"Do… do you want a hug, or something?" Yang asked.

Blake nodded, and Yang leaned over, Blake doing the same. She buried her head in Yang's shoulder and Yang held on tight, squeezing for all she was worth, wanting to wring the sadness out of Blake. She didn't break into a sobbing mess - Yang had probably missed that phase with the silent treatment, and she felt guilty. In her rush to be there for Blake, she'd missed being there when Blake probably needed it most.

When Blake finally pulled back she laughed. "I am getting so _sick_ of crying," she said, wiping her cheek.

"Well, if you need a shoulder, let me know," Yang said. "Or if you want me to punch someone, let me know. Or if you just wanna talk…"

"Yeah," Blake said. "I will." Her gaze blurred, looking off to the middle distance, and she adjusted her cat ears before looking to Yang. "My counselor told me, that picture will follow me for the rest of my life."

"... What?"

"He said, when I go to job interviews, or if I need a promotion, people will google me, and they'll see that picture."

Yang blinked, shocked at the idea. "But… that's not fair!"

"I'm a minor, so he thinks they will get rid of the picture, but he told me: once it's on the internet, it's there forever. He has clients in their forties who say guys walk up to them and ask if they're the girl in such-and-such photo. It's frightening."

"They said that at the assembly," Yang said, "that you should never text pics of yourself that you don't want the whole world to see."

"That's why I always posed with my clothes on," Blake said. "I thought I was being smart. But…"

Yang's hands were shaking again, she had all this energy and she didn't know what to do with it. She took Blake's hands in hers, leaned in, inches from her face. "I'll help you," she said, before hearing herself. Quickly, she added: "I'll do whatever you want me to do, to help you. Even if it's nothing."

Blake blinked, eyes wide, and that golden gaze looked down, to the shaking hands. She bent down and kissed the hands, and all at once fire burned through Yang, but Blake straightened, held Yang's gaze. "The same goes for me," she said. "If you're hurting, if you need something, I want you to come to me, too. I've been too self-centered, and helping people should help me. I need to tell Weiss that, and I need to tell Ruby that. But I'm telling you: I'm not running anymore, and I'm going to be there for you from now on."

"We'll be there for each other," Yang said.

They smiled, and the world seemed to fit back in place.

* * *

Blake had finished showering after spending all day on the slopes. The sun had been out and it was just warm enough that she'd started sweating under her snowsuit as she kept flying down the slopes. She and Yang had almost made it a competition, Blake on skis, Yang on her snowboard, and there was a lot of laughing, teasing, and… fun. There were still moments of awkward, but Blake felt like they'd gotten past the worst of it. Ruby was also competing with them, and there was no denying that she'd been the fastest.

After brushing out her hair, Blake decided to head down to the large fireplace by the lobby with her book. Her parents had that look in the eye again. She was pretty sure she'd be sleeping over with Weiss or Yang's family again tonight. (Really? Did her parents have to spend the _whole vacation_ needing the room to themselves?) But some quality time with her book was looking ideal.

She was surprised, however, when she found Weiss sullenly drinking tea by the fire with her foot up. And an icepack on it.

"Weiss?"

"Hey, Blake," Weiss grumbled. "I twisted my ankle on the slopes today."

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yes."

Blake sat down next to her. "Need anything?"

"A functioning ankle."

"Not in my skill set."

"I _know_."

"Need a book?"

Weiss turned and gave a soft smile. "Actually, that sounds good. It's on the nightstand between my and Winter's beds."

Blake nodded, put her book down next to Weiss to hold her spot, and headed back upstairs.

"Blake!" Ruby was a red blur that tackled her. "Dad's taking me and Yang out into Wilmington for dinner. You and your parents are invited!"

Blake shook her head. "My parents have plans. We're staying in tonight."

"Are you sleeping with us or with Weiss?"

"Don't know."

Ruby nodded. "Let us know. I'm going to see if Weiss and Winter want to come!"

"I don't think they will," Blake said, knocking on Winter and Weiss's door. "Weiss twisted her ankle. I doubt she wants to walk much. Winter will probably want to stick around."

"That's true," Winter said, opening the door. "I could hear you without the door even opening, Miss Rose. Do you know how to use an 'inside' voice?"

Ruby smiled unrepentantly, looking more like Qrow. " _Nope_!" she nearly shouted. "There's too much to enjoy to be quiet!"

Winter's lips twitched.

"Thanks, though," Ruby continued. "It was worth a shot. Dad's already got the reservations, so we'll be heading out shortly. Can we get you anything?"

"Peace and quiet," Winter muttered, and Blake held in a giggle. "That's quite alright. Run along."

"Kay!" and she ran off.

"Far too much energy…"

Blake did giggle. "Hello," she said. "Weiss was thinking of her book?"

"I'll retrieve it for you," Winter said, holding the door open and heading back for the book. "I'm looking up different restaurants for dinner myself. I don't care for delivery, but I don't even want Weiss walking to the dining room. Keep her stationary while I arrange for something to eat."

"Will do."

Book in hand, Blake went back downstairs.

"Thanks," Weiss said. She set aside her teacup.

Blake sat down, shucking off her shoes and tucking her feet under her. "How'd you twist your ankle anyway?"

Weiss scowled. "I can ice skate pretty well, and I thought that skis would be similar."

Blake smiled. "Of course you can ice skate. More grace and elegance."

"Father wouldn't have it any other way," Weiss said, twisting on the couch to better face her. "But I do enjoy it. You can feel the speed better on skates than you can on skis."

Blake shrugged. She'd never been skating. And… she was alone with Weiss. There were things she needed to say.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's not your fault I didn't know how to ski."

Blake shook her head. "That's not what I meant." She sipped her water to hide just a moment longer. "You've needed support and all my drama… has taken away from it."

Weiss let out a breath. "Look," Weiss said softly, "I'm not happy that I've felt very left alone this year, especially the last few months, but I've been to enough therapy that I know it's not your fault. That you've needed support just as much as me. I don't blame you. I have all of you, Winter, the counselor and therapist help also in keeping things in perspective. I'm not going to say that I've been thrilled, but… I understand."

Blake frowned. "You shouldn't let me off the hook like that," she said looking down. "My drama has just… been all-consuming and you're important, the same as everyone else is."

"Blake," Weiss sighed. "You have a counselor. I think you need a therapist as well. I _get_ it. I've had times where my drama has been all-consuming. I know what that's like. I don't have to see my therapist as much now, but she's still there when I'm struggling. Your drama is just as important as my drama. We still support each other. It's okay."

She sighed. "I know," Blake said quietly. "I still feel like everything is my fault. I'm angry at Adam now. I can see the manipulation… But I still feel like I should have seen it."

"It's not like they teach us this in school," Weiss said flatly. "Generic 'don't talk to strangers' advise works and all, but then you never meet anyone new."

Blake chuckled. "If I didn't talk to strangers, I'd have never gotten to know all of you."

Weiss put on a haughty face. "And you'd have been poorer for it."

They both laughed.

Weiss looked to the fire. "I know that Ruby and Yang have had it hard. They lost their moms. But… I don't want either of them to suffer what you and I have."

"I know," Blake said, also looking to the fire. "If Ruby or Yang start dating anyone, I kinda want to interview the person to make sure they won't hurt either of them."

"I know what you mean," Weiss said. "Listen for any signs of manipulation or condescension, make sure both of them are treated right."

"Listen to us, we sound like parents."

Weiss turned with an evil grin. "We can both be Team Moms for them. Ruby and Yang haven't had a mother figure for years. I think we can mother them enough." Her grin widened. "Especially if they come back late and leave their poor moms worried about them."

Blake had a smile on as well. "Lecture them about the time, ground them, that sort of thing?"

"Make them grovel."

They caught each other's eyes and burst out laughing.

"Seriously," Blake said softly. "I don't want either of them to face what you and I have."

"Yeah, Ruby does act so innocent all the time," Weiss nodded. "You'd never have thought she's also seen heartache."

"I wonder how much she remembers. She never talks about it."

"I'm pretty sure I have some uncles and aunts on my Father's side, but I never see them," Weiss said. "I'm pretty sure that if one of them died, I'd be sad, but I don't really know them. You can't be sad to lose someone you don't know."

Blake nodded. "How's your foot?"

"Numb," Weiss replied. "The ice has officially numbed it."

"Time to take it off then." Blake hesitated, then offered, "I know Mom gave you some massages. Do you want me to give you a foot rub?"

"Do you know how to do what your mom does?"

"Not all of it, but you do pick up details after a while."

Weiss considered it. "No, I don't want anything to go wrong. If Father sees me limping…"

Blake scowled. "Yeah, I can see him using that against you and Winter. So, books?"

"Yes," Weiss said, though her eyes glimmered. "And maybe composing a proper lecture for Ruby and Yang?"

Blake smiled.

* * *

"... this, then, circles around back to the René Descartes quote from earlier: _Je pense donc je suis_ , 'I think, therefore I am.' He and the other philosophers we've discussed all were asking questions of the self, trying to define what life even is, and yet when we speak of their lives we discuss their times, the influences on their ideas, events that occurred to and around them. This also, is a type of life, and it is in the distinction of the two that we can create a broader understanding of what life is, and what life means. Thank you."

The auditorium filled with the sounds of applause, and Ozpin took a long draw from his water after almost two hours of speaking. His leg was stiff but he was able to walk off stage with his cane. It had been _quite_ a while since he had done the speaking circuit, and he belatedly realized his voice was out of practice. Hour long classes, even ones in auditoriums, had different requirements. The dean of philosophy had a few words for him, appreciation, and several people were backstage to have a word with him.

Several old colleagues came by: Glynda had just about crushed him in a hug for seeing him again and almost all of his old Berkley staff had arrived to see him again, and he realized he would be likely talking for the rest of the day.

Perhaps he shouldn't have brought Qrow and Oscar… he pulled out his phone to text them.

"It's so good to see you again!"

"I've been reading your papers as they get published, it's good to hear them in your voice again, you've always had a gift for speaking."

"Will you be speaking more often now?"

"No," Ozpin said smoothly, having expected that question. "I have a son to raise, so for now I'm staying close to home."

"Ah, I see. Still, now I know where to find you - you fell off the map so suddenly!"

"Of course," Ozpin said, nodding his head and trying to break away. He hadn't expected to see so many familiar faces - locked away at Beacon as he was - he hadn't realized how many people had worried about his proverbial disappearance, or missed him after the move. Oh, he still had the occasional email from an old colleague, they all knew where he had moved to, but seeing the outpouring was… he felt warm.

"So, you're the famous Ozpin Ozma!" Ozpin turned at the English accent, seeing a tall, lanky man with a developed moustache, briefcase in hand. "I must confess watching your old talks at Oxford doesn't do you justice, your audience was lapping up every word you said."

"You do me too much credit, Mr…"

"Doctor. Doctor Arthur Watts."

"Ah, well, hello, doctor. Professor Ozpin Ozma, though it seems you already knew that."

They both laughed. "I'm not a philosopher," Watts said, "but philosophy was a GRE and you were the only one that sounded interesting."

"That's only because I'm new," Oz said lightly. "Two hundred years from now and everything I've ever said will be forgotten, but thank you for your kind words. I confess I'm surprised to see you here if you aren't a student or a philosopher. Are you a guest?"

"Oh, no, I just saw the topic covered and thought it would be helpful to me."

"Really? What is it you do?"

"Research, mostly, though you likely inferred that from the title. Defining a life, as you put it, I thought would help me in my line of work, and I confess you did give me an idea or two."

"Well, I'm glad to have been of service," Ozpin said, leaning slightly on his cane. "If you'll excuse me."

"Before you go, I did have a question, Professor," Watts said, pulling out his phone to check it. "Rumor, you understand. As I was taking my seat there were several people who said you had virtually disappeared from the academic scene. Is that true? And what happened?"

"Oh, nothing so grandiose," Ozpin said lightly. "I required a change in location: I have a son to raise and I couldn't just fly to universities at the drop of a hat."

"That _is_ a surprise," Watts said, eyebrows raised. "I would have thought the talking circuit to be more lucrative."

"Lucrative, perhaps," Oz said, shrugging his shoulders, "but there are drawbacks. Once my son was born I was less inclined to answer every invitation to speak - I wanted to see all the firsts. Do you have any children?"

"Confirmed bachelor, alas," Watts said, putting a hand to his chest. "Married only to my work."

"Were that life always that simple," Ozpin offered.

"I'm still confused," Watts said. "You _were_ speaking up until a few years ago, but those Berkley people acted like you have completely disappeared."

"Nothing so disastrous." Oz replied, tapping his cane to his leg. "A lot happened, and I simply felt that a change of scenery would be more beneficial."

"Oz!"

"Dad!"

Ah, the best part of the day had arrived. Ozpin turned to see Qrow and Oscar moving up to them. He hugged his son automatically, and Qrow leaned in for a chaste kiss. Watts was staring, phone in hand, green eyes wide.

"Suddenly I understand why you have the opportunity to speak," the doctor said quickly, shaking his head. "Apologies, even after living in the states for as long as I have I sometimes forget how open you Americans can be. Doctor Arthur Watts." He offered a hand.

"Qrow Branwen," Qrow answered, shaking hands. "No title - at least none outside of home anyway. Hey, Oz, who was the hot blonde with the rack? All she needed was a riding crop and she could have-"

" _Qrow,_ " Ozpin said quickly before turning back to Watts. "You'll forgive me," he said cordially. "But now that my family is here…"

"Yes, of course. Thank you for talking to me."

"So like I was saying-"

" _Qrow_ , Glynda Goodwitch is an old and dear friend, I'll not have you drooling over her while she joins us for lunch."

"For lunch?" Qrow asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Insufferable…!

"I kind of remember her," Oscar said as they continued walking. "Did she watch me or something?"

"Yes," Ozpin said, running a hand through Oscar's thick bob of hair. "I would take you to Berkley during the summer sessions, and sometimes she looked after you if I had a meeting."

"I remember she didn't smile a lot, but she kept candy in her drawer."

"Well, then, you can ask her if she still does."

"Can I ask-"

" _No_ , Qrow, not if you don't want to sleep on the _couch_."

The face Qrow made was absolutely stricken, and he made the motion of zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Glynda was outside the auditorium, wrapped up in a tweed overcoat with purple lining. "Well," she said, "this is a treat. I can't remember the last time we had lunch together."

"Yes," Ozpin said brightly. "I hope you don't mind, but my family came to see me speak."

"Of course, I recognize young Oscar - though he's not young anymore - you've gotten so big. What grade are you in?"

"Freshman in high school," Oscar said proudly.

"Hmph. I must be getting old."

"Glynda, this is Qrow Branwen, my partner. Qrow, this is Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Head of Humanities at Berkeley." Please don't flirt, please don't flirt, please don't flirt…

"Pleasure, ma'am," Qrow said, shaking her hand and pulling at his red scarf. "Oz doesn't talk much about Berkeley, good to see he had some friends there." Oz silently sighed in relief; he glanced at his son and he smiled, nodding. "Does anybody know where we're eating?"

"That isn't campus food?" Glynda said with her trademark subtle-sneer. "There's a restaurant fifteen minutes from here I was thinking of. I certainly hope I get the full story of how you two met, Oz barely said anything in his emails."

Qrow gave a positively _evil_ smile, and Ozpin realized he would be spending most of lunch with his hands on his temples. "Well, you see. Two years ago my nieces were in middle school…"

* * *

"Did you get the photos?"

" _Yes. Are you certain?_ "

"I just heard him introduce the man as his partner. You didn't tell me the man - to coin a phrase - 'played for both teams.'"

" _He didn't. That would be unnatural. Did you get a name?_ "

"Qrow Branwen. I'm already looking him up. _He_ , I suspect, will have an address."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh. Uh-oh! That can't be good!
> 
> But again, this is a fluff chapter as everyone continues to mend their fences. Tai continues to be Best Supporting Character, helping out Yang work through her issues and recognize the best way to talk to Blake, and the two of them resolve their differences. It's a little fast, but once again this is a self-indulgence fic and everyone gets a happy ending here. Also more details from the PD of hell and what kind of long-term consequences these kinds of things bring.
> 
> Weiss and Blake have a lot in common, and the two of us can easily picture them looking out for others around them. The idea of them interviewing future dates to see if they're worthy of the Xiao Longs... it's just so funny. The pair even helped Nora in the first half of Season 8 - so... we predicted it? We kind of want the two of them to interact more in the show. Blake and Ruby, too, that would be an interesting pair.
> 
> Also Oz and Qrow being sweet together, a brief cameo of Glynda, and a hint at things to come.
> 
> Next chapter: Rapid switch to drama again: Weiss and Whitley talk, and Oz finally confesses his darkest moment of his Year of Hell.
> 
> Happy New Year everyone! May 2021 be dull, uneventful, and BORING.


	28. Chapter 28

January third marked the return of school and the dreaded knowledge that holiday's wouldn't be on the weekend for a long time. Ruby was only slightly annoyed, and after the adventure of the ski lodge she was happy to be back in class and picking up where she left off. She and Oscar had the same language class and they were thick as thieves as they remembered how to do conjugations, past participles, and all that vocab. Blake tried to keep up, always half a step behind but determined to do it on her own. In three weeks the semester ended, and that meant midterms.

Blake had told them she was keeping her phone off during school, the stress of having it was too much, and Ruby kept her phone on silent in solidarity. As they wrapped up the bookwork review the teacher announced a quiz on Friday - right after coming back - and while everyone else moaned Ruby and Oscar glanced at each other, nodding in solemn knowledge that they would be the leaders of their next study group.

Oscar got a buzz on his phone, face down on the desk, and he turned it over quickly to glance at it and let it fall back to his desk. Ruby wouldn't have even noticed it except that he was frowning, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I'll be back," he said, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Ruby didn't think anything of it, continued working with Blake through the conjugations and spot-quizzing her on the vocab. Oscar was gone for awhile but came back, and once the bell rang he grabbed Ruby's hand. He didn't say anything for several seconds, watching the door as people left, before he turned back to Ruby. "I just got a text," he said.

"What text?"

Oscar frowned again, but his hazel eyes were intense. "That guy sent out another picture."

"What?!"

"I went to the office to report it," he said, waving his phone in the direction he had gone, "and I guess a lot of other kids are there to report the same thing. The assembly must have worked, no one wants to have that pic on their phone and get in trouble for it."

"Oh," Ruby said, "that's so good. Everyone's standing up to that Adam guy! This is so sweet I can't wait to tell-oh."

"Yeah," Oscar said. "I… I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Blake. You and Yang and Weiss know her best, and I wanted to ask."

Ruby nodded as they left the classroom, thinking. "She's going to find out about it anyway, right?" she asked, running a hand through her hair. "Weiss and I are together next period. Let me ask her. We'll let you know at lunch."

"Okay," Oscar said. "Wish me luck, I have science with Winchester next."

"Oh, is he still bothering you?"

"Not nearly like he used to, but I'm not exactly letting my guard down," Oscar said, giving a thumbs up.

Ruby smiled and gave him one in turn.

Weiss in science already knew about the pictures, and Ruby asked what to do.

"If Blake doesn't already know we should be the ones to tell her," Weiss said. "I'll text Yang."

Ruby nodded as they sat down and took notes. After a short lecture was a joint worksheet, and Ruby moved her seat to Weiss to talk a little more. Just as she was sitting down Weiss' phone went off and Ruby saw it was from her sister Winter. Weiss glanced at it and made a face.

"Is your dad being a problem again?"

"That would be putting it mildly," Weiss said, crossing her legs under the desk. "It's really annoying that we can't get free of him, and that Whitley doesn't understand what's being done to him. In a perfect world he'd get arrested and then we'd have much better ground to stand on."

"Professor Ozpin said his divorce was messy," Ruby said. "I don't know all the details, and Uncle Qrow gets a look in his eye whenever it gets brought up. Maybe we can ask him what he did to get custody of Oscar. You can come over today and we can ask them when they get home from work."

"I'm still getting used to your uncle being a teacher now."

"Yeah, it's weird right? For almost as long as I can remember he was at that third shift job and he was trying to stay awake. Now he comes home after us and he has all these stories about his students! I hope _our_ teachers don't have stories like his."

Weiss gave a flat look. "You mean being on our phones all the time? Talking instead of working?"

Ruby gave a nervous laugh and got back to work.

Blake was missing from lunch, and Yang told them she was in guidance. "She found out about the pictures," Yang said. "But it was different, kinda. I mean, she was upset and mortified and all, but she was also mad, I think. She didn't run away, like… she's _always_ ran away after the assault."

Ruby smiled. "I guess she wasn't kidding when she said she was through running away," she said. "Remember? Last week at the ski lodge?"

And Yang smiled, a soft blush blooming on her face. "Yeah…"

Ruby glanced and Weiss, and she saw it too. Those two were sweet. Ruby made her fists. "Okay," she said, "We have to be extra supportive when school gets out - we'll invite her over and she can help us ask Professor Ozpin about divorce!"

"... what?" asked Oscar. "Oh, do you mean how Dad got custody of me from Mom?"

"Yes," Weiss said, making a face. "Winter's lawyer called. Father has decided to be more aggressive for custody since he lost the settlement. It's starting to get ugly. Again."

"Oh. I'm sorry I can't be much help," Oscar said, looking down. "I was a kid and…" He tugged at his turtleneck. "... I'd guess my situation was a little easier to prove…"

Ruby reached out and touched his shoulder. "It's okay," she said, "We understand."

After lunch Ruby's classes were more the same: review what was covered before break, squeeze in one new thing, or announce some kind of assessment as the quarter and semester closed out for midterms. Ruby caught up with Jaune and oogled his new, short haircut, congratulated Ren and Nora for (finally) getting together and spending civics with Blake-wait, what?

"You're here!" Ruby shouted, running up and hugging her. She was convinced Blake would be in guidance or taken home. The fact that she stayed…!

Blake hugged her back before sitting down. Ruby took the desk next to her and shimmied it over to be closer to Blake. The teacher started almost immediately, but Ruby wrote a quick note: _Are you okay?_

The note came back: _Not OK, but not devastated like before. I'm too mad for it to really sink in yet. I know he wants me going home in tears, and I don't want to give him that satisfaction._

Ruby smiled, and she reached over and held Blake's hand as they took their notes.

At the end of the day they all met under the flagpole and got on the bus to head to Oscar's house. Only seniors were allowed on the back of the bus, so they filled out three different seats. Ruby sat with Oscar, Yang and Blake in front of them, and Weiss across the aisle. Oscar and Weiss were in conversation as the other students passed between them, trying to remember what Oscar's custody battle was like, Yang getting her music set up to drown out all the noise on the bus and Blake digging through her backpack to find her book. Ruby noticed Blake glance out the window and stiffen, getting up and opening the window to stick her head out.

"Blake?" Ruby asked, standing up in her seat. "Blake, are you okay?"

"See that car?" Blake asked, pointing. "The black Audi with a chrome grill?"

"... I don't know a lot about cars…"

"I'm trying to read the plate number…"

"Why? What's so important about a car?" Yang asked, looking up from her music.

The bus started, Blake and Ruby jerking slightly before the regained equilibrium. Blake kept her head out until they pulled out of the parking lot. Only then did she sit back down, and she saw Ruby and Yang's concerned looks. "It's probably nothing," she said, "But… Adam drove that kind of car."

" _What_?" Yang said, voice low.

"Anyone can drive an Audi," Blake said, rubbing her forehead. "I'm probably overthinking it. With the new picture coming out…"

"Hey, it's okay," Yang said, reaching out and touching Blake's shoulder. Ruby leaned back, giving her sister space to work her magic, but she was tense during the bus ride as she texted Dad about going over to Oscar's and what had happened with Blake.

Oscar's (and Uncle Qrow's) house was the last on the route; Professor Ozpin wouldn't show up until four at the earliest, but Uncle Qrow always got home at quarter of, so they had about forty-five minutes to themselves to set up their homework and get started. Oscar went back to the kitchen for snacks, saying something about making cookies the night before, and coming back with a plate of chocolate-chip - Ruby's favorite! Then he disappeared into his dad's (and Uncle Qrow's, and aw, it was so sweet it made Ruby smile every time) room before coming out with a box full of papers.

"I don't know if this will help," he said, putting the box on the coffee table, "but this is Dad's important papers box. He goes through it once a year - last week, actually - and decided what papers are worth keeping. There's letters from my great-grandmother in here, and a diary from my grandfather - the one who had the cane before Dad. He showed me his old mortgage, so there might be something about the divorce here."

"We'll… wait until he gets home," Weiss said, eying the box. "It wouldn't feel right to go through it without him here to explain it."

"Okay."

Right on the dot, Uncle Qrow came home, shrugging out of his jacket and tie immediately. "I swear I'm not cut out for suits," he explained, tossing both into the bedroom and then pulling his button up over his head.

"Ugh, Uncle Qrow! We're teenage girls!"

"Jes-Don't get all hot and bothered. I know I'm a stud but I'm just going to grab a sweatshirt. As if I'd be interested in brats half my age..." After he pulled on his favorite grey sweatshirt with a red hood he pulled a soda out of the fridge to drink. "Okay," he said, "What's with the box?"

"Weiss wanted to ask Professor Ozpin about his divorce," Oscar said, and Ruby watched her uncle's face immediately sour. "See if she can get some ideas on how Winter can get custody."

"You guys don't want to know the details of that mess," Uncle Qrow said, hooking an ankle over his knee. "It'll turn your stomach faster than me stripping for you would."

"Ugh, I didn't need that picture in my head," Yang moaned.

"But what else can we do?" Ruby asked. "Weiss and Winter might lose, and then Weiss has to go back to living with her dad and it would be horrible - especially after all the fighting to get her away! He might do something worse than what he's already done - like that military school!"

"Yeah, can't we just, like, make up something to arrest him?" Yang said. "That would make the case easier, wouldn't it?"

Uncle Qrow leveled a flat look before guzzling his soda again. "Let's get something straight," he said, pointing. "I want Weiss here away from her dad as much as anybody, but I come from stock that doesn't much care about the law," Ruby and Yang both winced, "And believe me when I say that there's a difference between breaking a stupid rule and breaking a bad one. Breaking a stupid rule proves the rule stupid, breaking a bad one turns back on you and bites you in the ass. If you wanna get Jaques-ass Schnee off your back bad enough you'll fake an arrest you might as well hand Weiss over to him on a silver platter, because his lawyers will sniff it out in a heartbeat and break it faster than you can say Schnee."

"We get it," Oscar said quickly, "We're sorry. It's just… I kind of remember custody battles support the mom, but Dad won custody of me and I thought there might be an idea in there that Winter and Weiss haven't thought of."

Uncle Qrow made a face. "It's not a bad thought," he conceded, "But this is the stuff that turned Oz's hair white - some of it at any rate. If he can't bring himself to talk about it, you can't force him to. You got that?"

"Yes," Blake said quickly. "We won't push if it looks like he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Ruby? Yang?"

"Yes, we promise!" Ruby said quickly.

"We get it, geez," Yang said, crossing her arms. "You don't have to triple check us."

"Yeah I do," Uncle Qrow said, "Especially when _you're_ involved."

"! What's that supposed to mean?"

Weiss and Blake chuckled knowingly.

"You know what it means, now get back to your homework while I pull out my grading and start yelling at my kids."

Professor Ozpin didn't arrive until well after four-thirty, almost five. Ruby knew he was home when Oscar looked up and tilted his head to listen. Ruby did, too, and she heard a car. Uncle Qrow was already getting up and Ruby started putting her homework away. "All I have left is math," she said, "and we can do that at home."

"Says you…" Blake muttered, but put her work away as well, all of them packing up and getting ready to talk to Professor Ozpin.

"Good evening," the professor said, coming into the house and pulling at his green scarf. "Your uncle tells me you all have some questions?"

"Yes," Weiss said, taking up the position of spokesperson. "We thought hearing about how you gained custody of Oscar would help me in my situation, but I understand that it might be difficult, so you have the right to say no."

"My, how considerate," Professor Ozpin said, pulling his coat off and putting it away. Uncle Qrow moved to the kitchen. "Well then, let's see what I'm comfortable sharing." He took his seat in his chair, putting his leg up and eyeing the Important Papers Box. "You can put that away Oscar, they don't need to see those documents."

"Okay, Dad." Oscar got up.

Ozpin sat for a long moment, fingering his cane before he retracted it and placed it on his lap. He opened his mouth several times to start, but shut it again. Ruby started to shift in her seat, realizing what Uncle Qrow said about this being a hard topic for him. "One thing you have to understand is the nature of how the divorce started," he said finally. "It was a difficult circumstance, and a strain on everyone involved. Much like Weiss, I had left without any forewarning. Unlike Weiss, I was not a minor, and I got a lawyer immediately. The most important thing about custody is what is best for the child - it's one of the few things we as a society can agree on. Research dictates that having time with both parents are helpful to the growth of a child, and I had to prove that, in Oscar's circumstance, this was not the case."

He paused. Took a breath. Ruby saw Oscar look away, pulling at his turtleneck again, and the professor was worrying his retracted cane. "Oscar's mother was not amenable to the idea of giving up custody and, like Mr. Schnee, said and did a lot of things. In many ways, it was a character assassination by both parties. A lot of ugly, very private facts about what life was like before we moved here, things I felt I had to tell my lawyer and things I did not want dragged out into the open. They were regardless. The mother, by contrast, said anything that she thought would get Oscar back with her, whether it was true or not - and here I find it worthy of note that the people most capable of hurting us are the ones who know us the best."

He looked pointedly to Blake, and Ruby knew exactly what he was referring to, and the idea of someone saying bringing something like that up or worse about the professor made her heart hurt.

"She made a lot of accusations," Professor Ozpin said, "some wild to the point of laughable but some so close to the mark that for a long time I had to research her claims to make sure her words were false, because back then I still believed…"

"You still thought she was human," Uncle Qrow said, stepping out of the kitchen. "Good thing she cured you of _that_."

" _Qrow_ ," the professor said, but Ruby saw a change in his posture - he wasn't sitting as straight, and for a long, long time after admonishing her uncle he didn't say anything, just sat there in silence, staring off with a frown on his face. Ruby looked to Weiss, and she nodded.

"Thank you, professor," Weiss said smoothly. "You've been very helpful. Winter should be on her way home by now, I'll text her that I'm here and have her pick me up."

"Give it another few months and _I_ can take you home," Yang said, putting on a bright smile. "Driver's ed is starting!"

"... No."

"What? I'll be a great driver!"

"We'll believe that when you have your license," Blake said.

* * *

Qrow had learned that silence from Oz was a cry for help. Even back when he barely knew his professor, the one day he had slept over because Oz had texted he'd be late, and Oscar had looked so stressed, Qrow saw Oz struggle to give a bare bones explanation of the divorce and then completely shut down. Now he knew that no noise meant discomfort, displeasure, holding in pain.

And Oz was silent throughout supper.

Oscar noticed it, too, kept looking at Qrow, but he shook his head. Kids weren't expected to handle something like this. Hell, _Qrow_ wasn't trained to handle something like this, but he loved his partner, and he was going to do what he could. Oz had several times now come when Qrow was having one of his breakdowns, it was the least he could do.

Oz sat at the table, staring at nothing as he mechanically ate his food. His posture was slouched, almost like Qrow, and every exertion of moving his utensils to eat looked like it took monumental effort. Oscar kept trying to start a conversation, and Oz did reply, but his smiles weren't the same, they were more forced, and Oscar was squirming in his seat.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I should never have had them ask you about the divorce."

That seemed to stir Oz, and he looked at his son with more focus. "You don't remember much of it, do you?" he asked.

"No," Oscar confessed. "I remember a lot of people talking to me, and the doctor's exam when I had to show the scars. You…" Oscar frowned, eyes widening slightly as he realized something. "You always were so positive," he said, "You sounded so happy to meet with whoever. You were making it easy for me, weren't you?"

"Yes," Oz admitted, and Qrow saw the light fade a little from his professor's eyes. "The divorce… it was very bad, for a time, and I didn't want you to bear the burden of the accusations that were being tossed around. You had just turned eight, you didn't deserve…" he dropped off again, lost in whatever haze of memories he was reliving.

Qrow and Oscar shared a look. "He should have told me."

"No," Qrow said. "I think he has the right of it. There are some things I've never told Ruby and Yang about when things were really bad for me, telling them would hurt worse than the intervention. Same goes for you."

"I… I always thought it was really easy," Oscar said, looking down at his plate. "I never saw her after we left, Dad made sure of that. He was really quiet when we first moved here, but his hair was going really white by then, and I kinda knew not to ask. Once we got the house he was just so relieved, and every time he took me to city hall to talk to somebody he was always so happy. He told me to answer questions honestly - I remember that. And then one day he just came home and said the divorce was settled."

Qrow nodded, staring at Oz, so lost in his thoughts, oblivious to the world.

"I'll try to talk to him after you go to bed," Qrow said.

"No, I should know how bad the divorce was."

Qrow shook his head. "You might, but your dad isn't gonna tell you. I might not tell you, if it's as bad as this," he gestured to Oz. "But I'll let you know."

Oscar looked between the two men, hazel eyes narrow, but he nodded and got up. "Guess I'm going to bed early," he said, getting his dishes and putting them away.

Qrow snorted but didn't complain either. He put the rest of the dishes away and set up the plates for breakfast the next morning, an organizational quirk he'd had to learn when he moved in. He did some miscellaneous stuff before going back to the kitchen and touching Oz's shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly, "Time for bed."

Oz looked up, and his face was the definition of depression. "... of course," he said, extending his cane and getting up.

Once they were both sitting in bed Qrow siddled over and wrapped an arm around his lover, leaning in and nuzzling his cheekbone. "You gonna talk about it?" he asked softly.

"It… it was very bad."

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," Qrow said. "What kind of accusations did she throw around?"

"She never… she never made an accusation, strictly speaking. But she was - is - very charming, and very smooth. She used my disinterest in sex - I didn't know what I was then - and she suggested that if I wasn't interested in her I must have been sleeping with someone else."

"Let me guess," Qrow said. "That friend from Berkley we met? The one with the rack?"

Oz shook his head. "I would have preferred that," he said. "Glynda would have been absolutely irate and given the lawyers a piece of her mind. She was the only one on campus who had a larger vocabulary than mine." He gave half a smile, entertaining the thought for a brief moment before the silence started to stretch out again. Qrow could feel the tension in his partner's shoulders, and he shifted slightly to give them a small rub, anything to relax his lover.

Eventually, Oz gave a small hum, closing his eyes and leaning into the work. It was the first positive noise he'd made, nothing like his deeper hums when he was truly relaxed, but Qrow took it as a victory regardless. It didn't last long.

"She already knew," he said finally, shifting forward and away from the massage. He was hunched again, face turned away. "She already knew about the abuse charges, Ms. Hill said she laughed when they were mentioned. But, over time, she decided to use it and turn it around. Instead of her abusing us, it was I who was the perpetrator. She suggested… if I wasn't interested in her… and Oscar had scars… then…"

It clicked together in Qrow's head as he realized what Oz was struggling to say out loud.

" _That fucking bitch!_ " he shouted, so loud he heard Oscar upstairs jump, but he didn't care. "Are you _fucking_ serious? You love that boy more than your own life! What the _fuck_ kind of _psychopath_ goes around accusing _you_ of fucking-!" He growled, then he roared, throwing a punch at the headboard in some way to expend the flood of energy in his synapses. "Fucking _bitch!_ Fucking-! That is such _bullshit!_ Jesus _Christ_ just when I think I can't hate her more than I already do you tell me _shit like this?_ Holy _fuck!_ " He ran out of swears, eventually, was left panting in rage, and Oz staring at him with wide eyes, leaning back.

"Let's get something straight, Oz," Qrow said, leaning in and pointing a finger. "Nothing that bitch says is worth the oxygen she wastes saying it. She took who you are and turned into some kind of... some kind of… I don't even have _fucking words_ for how messed up that is. Sweet _fuck_ no wonder you never came out to anybody. I fucking _hate_ that bitch!"

Oz blinked, still leaning away, and blinked again. "Forgive me, I'm-" he started to say.

"No," Qrow growled. "You don't _need_ to be forgiven, because you haven't done anything wrong. That bitch should count herself lucky to _beg at your feet_ for all the shit she's pulled, and _then_ I'd kick her in the teeth for thinking she's even worthy of being in your presence. Christ. _Fucking Christ_ I can't believe it."

Oz was still wide eyed, staring. "I'm…" he started to say again. "I'm… not used to such a visceral reaction."

"Yeah?" Qrow said, "Well I'm not sorry for it. Anybody would have that reaction. Any _sane_ person." He took a breath and closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He was still shaking with anger, but he was starting to realize how he looked. God, he wanted a drink for that little revelation. He took another breath, taking the time to process, and then he took a third breath. "Sorry," he said finally, looking up. "I'm not sorry for getting mad, but I am sorry for scaring you."

"No," Oz said, finally leaning forward. "I'm uncertain if this is appropriate, but I'm rather touched that you got as angry as you did."

Qrow huffed out a laugh, a crooked grin ghosting his features. "Not used to being validated, are you?"

"... Well…"

Qrow leaned in and kissed his partner, hard on the lips, slinking his arms around to hug him. Oz didn't make one of his pleased hums, he wasn't in the mood, and Qrow pulled out of the kiss to hug him tighter. "She's wrong," he said softly. "You gotta know that."

"Yes," Oz said. "Now I do…"

Oscar was never going to learn this, Qrow decided. There was only so much a human body could take, and Oscar was too young to have something like this bouncing around in his head.

He held Oz through the night, guarding his dreams.

* * *

When Weiss left school, she frowned heavily at seeing her father. Her friends stood around her, but her father produced a legal document saying that he'd be taking her home. Ruby turned to Weiss and had said they'd text Winter. Winter's response had been that she was required to go with him and that she was working on it.

So Weiss was brought "home" to a home she didn't view as hers anymore.

Her father was clearly pulling out all the stops. He'd had her favorite snacks ready when they arrived, new clothes, a new laptop, other things that Weiss simply saw as an attempt to buy her loyalty. She touched none of them.

But then her father brought her to his bedroom.

"You're mother has missed you," he said with soft caring and all Weiss could hear was oil. He opened the door and Weiss saw her mother, still in bed, with three empty bottles on her nightstand.

This was going to be hard.

Weiss knew what her father was doing. He was trying to manipulate her into staying. And he was using his most effective weapon. Her mother looked up, saw her, and gasped.

"Weiss, is that you?"

"Mother," Weiss greeted, stepping in.

"I'll let the two of you talk," her father said magnanimously, shutting the door behind her.

Weiss closed her eyes and _focused_ on surviving. Her mother was sick. Weiss could only do what she could now, she _couldn't_ keep doing this. That's what her father was counting on: her sense of responsibility.

"Weiss, you're _here_! Oh, come here!"

"Hello, Mother," Weiss greeted, coming over and giving a hug. Her mother started sobbing, clinging to her.

"You're here! I've missed you!"

Weiss couldn't stop melting into the hug. "I've missed you, Mother." And she _did_. Her mother understood in a way that others outside the family didn't. Or Weiss had thought they didn't. Professor Ozpin understood. Blake understood. Theirs were different nuances, but they all _understood_ what this sort of life was like. And her mother was the first who did.

Eventually they pulled apart. Her mother smiled, her eyes shimmering, and she reached out to cup Weiss's cheek. "Hello, darling."

"Hey," Weiss said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, with you here," she said softly. "Oh, I must look a mess."

Weiss gave a hollow laugh. "A little."

And her mother gave that soft, self-deprecating smile. "Tell me, how is school going?"

And just like that, it was like Weiss hadn't left, hadn't been away for almost two years, avoiding coming here. Weiss just sat back and talked about school like she would when she was younger and didn't realize how dark the world really was. They talked for over an hour. Her mother stayed in bed, but Weiss did what she always did. She cleaned up. She took away the empty bottles, checked to make sure there weren't any hidden away nearby and in a moment of impulse, she brushed her hair.

"This is a treat," her mother said softly as Weiss kept counting out each stroke of the brush. "You were, what, -five?- the first time you asked to brush my hair."

Weiss smiled. "I'd just seen some sort of period drama, I think. The only thing I remember was the lady saying to always brush one hundred times to ensure healthy hair. You were always brushing my hair. I figured I should do yours as well."

"Those were happier times," her mother said softly. "Why are you here?"

Weiss paused mid stroke. Then continued. "Father had a court order. Winter is probably fighting it now."

"You've left," her mother repeated.

"Yes. What Father is doing here is wrong."

Her mother quietly snorted. "I thought we all simply assumed that at this point…"

Weiss gave a pitiful chuckle. "The custody fight is getting worse…" Weiss sniffed. "We've been fighting _so long_ and he still hasn't agreed to anything."

Her mother held her closely, and Weiss could remember something similar when she was in elementary school. It was familiar and comfortable, and Weiss couldn't afford to fall back into this. That was her father manipulating. She couldn't do this. But she still missed her mother. Missed her from the days before she started drinking so much, missed the mother she had when she was younger, missed the mother who indulged in attempting hair styles, came to every recital and cheered the loudest, blew kisses into her ear. But that was before Weiss had realized the cage she'd been in. She couldn't go back.

She _couldn't_.

"I have something for you," her mother said softly.

"What?"

Her mother got up, straightened out her nightgown, and went into the dresser. After a few minutes of digging, she came back and gave Weiss… a thumbdrive.

"A thumbdrive?" Weiss asked.

"Your father still has blind spots," she said softly, pulling out her phone.

The apps on her phone were an unorganized mess, but buried in a folder in a folder, her mother opened an app and…

Weiss was looking at the two of them from… Weiss turned and looked to a corner, up on the armoire.

Something cold spilled down her spine. "You put a camera in here?"

"I put them in every room of this house," her mother said, her voice shaking. "For our safety. In case I never needed to…" she looked away. "Everything from the last five years."

Weiss looked down at the thumb drive, wondered what was on it. She dared to hope. Hope that there was something on it that Winter could use. Hope... Then she stuffed it down her blouse and into her bra.

"You're not going to stay, are you?" her mother asked quietly.

"No," Weiss said firmly. Both to herself, to her mother, and to her father. She _wouldn't_ come back to this.

And for the first time in years, Weiss saw her mother smile. It was sad, and bitter, and broken, but it was an honest smile. Tears were flowing again, and her mother looked away to wipe at them.

Weiss looked away to give her the space.

"No matter what happens, Weiss," her mother said softly, "please don't forget about your brother."

Weiss let out a frustrated huff. "We're fighting for his custody as well. Whitley just wants nothing to do with us."

And her mother looked at her so sadly. "Of course not. You both left him. Alone. With us."

_With us_.

So many things went through Weiss in that moment. Her mother was more with it than Weiss had thought, but also that she understood that she was part of the problem as well, but she didn't seem to change or want to, or couldn't, and what did that say about her father and what did all this mean about Whitley and just what was Whitley going through now? Too many thoughts.

Too many thoughts.

Weiss took a moment to breath. "Do you need to go to Alcoholics Anonymous?" she asked softly. "Yang and Ruby's uncle, he has his five year coin. He's almost at his seven year. Maybe he can help you through…"

But her mother shook her head. "Darling, it's not your job to fix the adults. Your father will use that to keep you here."

"I know, but…"

But this was the first time her mother ever even acknowledged that there was a problem.

Her mother gave another soft smile. "Remember. Remember Whitley. Don't forget him."

"We aren't."

"Good." She handed back the brush. "Seventy-two, if I recall?"

Weiss gave a small, broken smile and started counting again.

Her mother settled in for a nap after that and Weiss went more thoroughly through the room and found two hidden bottles that she took away. The empty bottles were recycled and the full bottles Weiss stared at for a long time. At this point, her inclination was to just dump them down the drain, like Ruby and Yang had done, but she still remembered the story of that intervention that Blake had shouted out in anger.

Ruby had talked to her later about it. She didn't remember most of it, but she did remember that Qrow had been _extremely_ mad for not having any booze. Weiss could dump it. But did she want that to happen with her mother? What if Winter came and took her away? Then her mother's reaction would be in front of Whitley and her father. How would that go?

What should she do? Dump one of them and just let her mother assume she lost it? There would be less alcohol that way. Maybe no blame? But that was Weiss thinking the old way, trying to minimize damages and avoid confrontation.

Did she dump the alcohol or not?

"Go ahead and dump it."

Weiss whirled around. "Whitley!"

Her brother was leaning against the doorway, looking tired. "I just dump it when I find it. I figure that if Father sees how much is spent on it, he'll stop her from buying any."

"She won't get mad at you?"

"She's never mad," Whitley said. "Just sad."

Weiss nodded and started to dump the bottles. Then she let out another sigh. "You shouldn't have to be doing this."

"No," Whitley said. "Mother should realize she's a lazy alcoholic and start fixing herself."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Alcoholics aren't alcoholics because they want to be," she said. "Maybe someone starts drinking heavily because they're an idiot, but they don't keep drinking because of wanting to."

Whitley just let out a heavy sigh. "I forgot, you know a drunk."

"Recovered alcoholic, technically," Weiss said snippily. "When our health class was talking about addictions, he had a lot to say when we were doing our homework." She shuddered. "Those weren't happy stories. He didn't want us to follow his footsteps."

Whitley blinked, surprised. "Huh, I hadn't thought he did anything like that."

"Qrow has no problem pointing out his mistakes and viciously pointing out the lessons," Weiss replied. "He says we'll make our own mistakes to learn from, but they should always be different from his generation."

"Hn."

"Professor Ozpin's lessons are harder. He doesn't state them so directly. He makes you think around it, then makes you realize it like you knew it all along." Weiss snorted. "I can see why Winter always praised his class."

"She did?"

Weiss nodded, dumping out the second bottle. "You were too young when she went to college. Whenever she came home she always talked about Professor Ozma. She talked a lot about what college life was like, what it was like to live on campus, her study groups, she always had a story." Weiss smiled softly. "I always wanted to be like her."

"I noticed," Whitley said sourly.

Weiss sighed. "Neither of us want you to stay here," she said for the umpteenth time. "Why don't you just pack a bag and join us? You don't have to put up with Father, you don't have to clean up after Mother. You can come and just be a kid."

"And give up my responsibilities?" Whitley scowled. "I'm the heir. I have a lot that I need to keep up with, look after, take care of-"

"You're a kid the same as the rest of us," Weiss interrupted. "I do my responsibilities, I do my homework, do my chores, do what I need to, but I still get to have fun. I don't have do all this… this…" she gestured around the house, "...this _extra_. I can just talk with my friends, hang out, go for a jog, read, sing, whatever I want. That should be the same for _you_ as well!"

Whitley was still scowling. "I wouldn't have all this ' _extra'_ ," he repeated mockingly, "if you had stayed."

Weiss held back the first thing she wanted to retort.

And the second.

"So one of the children of this house needs to be de-angering Father and enabling Mother?" she asked, putting the empty bottles into recycling.

"That's not what I said-"

"It is," Weiss insisted. "If I was still here, you'd still have to de-anger father, but not everyday. I'd probably be doing most of it, like I did before I left, and like Winter did originally. You wouldn't have to clean up after mother, because that was my job. That's why seeing her is so…"

"Difficult?" he said lightly and with the same oil as their father.

" _Yes_ ," she hissed. "Difficult. Father knows that and wants me to take over being her nursemaid. I won't do that. I worry so much for her, but I _won't_ come back to this." Weiss stepped over and offered a hand. "Winter, Qrow, Professor Ozpin, Mr. Taiyang, they all say that adults need to take care of their own problems and that it's not up to the children to sort it out. Looking after Mother, monitoring Father's mood, that's not _your_ job. Or my job. That's _their_ job."

"Someone has to do it if they won't," Whitley groused.

"Yes. _Not us_."

"Then _who_?"

" _Not us_ ," Weiss insisted. "I'm not saying that we don't worry. We _do_. We want Mother to get better, we want Father to just… just... _not_ anymore. I was just telling Mother to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She said no, and that's _her_ choice. Not mine, not yours, not Father's, but _hers_."

"It's the wrong choice."

" _Duh_ , of course it's the wrong choice." Weiss rubbed at her forehead. "We can't make that choice for her. Qrow said he really started getting better when he made the choice for _himself_ instead of just Ruby and Yang. Because up until then he didn't value himself. When he started to value himself and stopped drinking to improve himself, that's when he made the most strides."

Whitley was quiet.

"That's a selfish way of looking at things," he said.

Hand on her hip, Weiss gave a flat glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Father says you're being selfish by not coming home," Whitley said. "That you're only thinking of yourself, giving up your responsibilities, and frolicking about to have fun with criminals and sluts."

Oh, Weiss had to clench her jaw _tightly_ for that. "Whitley," she annunciated slowly. "Don't you think I've _tried_ to help Mother? You saw me de-anger Father on any number of occasions. I _taught_ you some of the tricks to avoid his anger. I have put in _years_ doing that and _nothing changed_. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting something different."

Whitley was still scowling. "And the criminals and the slut?"

Deep breath. "Qrow, Ruby and Yang, and Mr. Taiyang _aren't_ criminals. Are you a drunk for being Mother's son? Am I? It doesn't work like that, Whitley. You know better. And what do you mean by slut?"

"I saw that Belladonna picture on Father's computer."

"What picture?"

"The one where she's half naked and posing for the camera," Whitley said flatly.

" _What_!"

"You didn't know?" Whitley said flatly. "Father has a picture of that Belladonna girl half naked on his _computer_."

Weiss's face was slack, shock settling in around her. That Taurus sent the picture to students at school, how the _hell_ did her father get that picture? Oh, if she _ever_ got her hands on that Taurus she was going to _rip him to pieces_! And her _father_ had seen that picture? Was that why he was pushing the custody so much? Not the fact that he lost the lawsuit?

"You're surprised?" Whitley asked flatly. "Father has a picture of that half naked _girl_ on his computer."

"How? _Why_? His background checks? Or is it from the internet?" Weiss could feel her mind whirling.

Whitley shrugged, face and voice still flat. "I thought you knew that Father had a picture of a half naked _underaged_ girl on his _computer_."

Why was Whitley repeating himse- Weiss stood straight, grit her teeth, and composed herself. "I see."

Whitley gave an arrogant smile. "Took you long enough."

Weiss gave a warm smile, regardless, and pulled her little brother into a tight hug. "I'll let Winter know," she whispered.

Whitley shrugged, completely unaffected. "Dinner will be in fifteen minutes. Use all those tips you supposedly taught me to avoid aggravating him."

Weiss smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugly chapter is ugly: oh, the draaaaamaaaa.
> 
> Blake first: though Adam sent another picture, the entire reaction around it is 180 different than the first time. This isn't a fix-all for everyone, but after we broke away from That Person and started to put ourselves back together, anger was one of the emotions that bloomed in us, because we finally stopped blaming ourselves and started blaming That Person. It gave us perspective and, in turn, it gives Blake perspective. Her anxiety hasn't gone away by any stretch, but the anger is giving her focus and - moreover - she's finally emotionally healed enough that she recognizes the support structures she has around her. She spends some time in guidance and goes back to class because that's where her friends are and they'll both fill her needs and protect her from the others. Except the entire school has received a lot of interventions - not just the assembly but also individual interventions as well, i.e. everybody had a better understanding of the steaks involved and - if only for self-preservation - handled the situation in a better way.
> 
> Next, the Schnees. Willow and Whitely respectively make some plays - Whitley is a little more subtle, but he and Weiss have a very real conversation. Siblings in abusive households have weird dynamics depending on how the abuse spreads. Whitley was the "all good" child, never got in trouble and was the favorite of the house because Winter and Weiss were the buffers to the abuse. With them gone he sees what the house is like and realizes how much of a buffer he had - and is resentful that they left. But Weiss' comment a few chapters ago about being "Whitely" and not "Father" sunk in, and he finally decides he wants something to change.
> 
> Willow we played more to Volume 7, but she is very self-aware and she had to do something. She's not as capable in this fic as she seems to be in the show but this is her shining moment.
> 
> How did Jacques get a picture? Doesn't matter, though we assumed he was using PIs to get dirt on Winter and Weiss and their friends, but point is they now have a way to end one of the three antagonist arcs. Hold that thought.
> 
> But really, for us it's the OzQrow stuff - no surprise there. We finally put the last item in the Checklist of Hell that Oz went through after the accident. The two of us don't have experience with divorce but we have seen the damage they do to students and we knew we wanted the divorce to play as hard as possible. If ever there was a reason for Oz's hair to turn white...:
> 
> 1\. an accident that left him crippled and one girl dead - purportedly at his hand because she saw Oz before the swerve 2. Learning that the Oscar was surviving the same abuse that he was and had his own scars. 3. Planning to escape and keeping it all under wraps until the day of 4. Salem finding him during the escape. 5. Being literally homeless when he made it to New England with Oscar and finding a lawyer to start the divorce and desperate to find a job. 6. Salem turning the divorce five shades of ugly, accusing Oz of the worst and for half a second him believing it because he didn't realize he was on the ace spectrum. 7. Going through all the steps to keep himself safe by living so far from work, changing his last name, and putting the house in Oscar's name instead of his. 8. Having to do so much that he didn't have time or money for physical therapy and leaving him permanently crippled. 9. The divorce and everything else leaving him in debt. 10. Being lonely as hell after it all settled.
> 
> And... like this might be just us, but if one of us is having a bad day and the other one gets angry on her behalf... that's really gratifying and validating, and Qrow being angry over the shzt Salem pulled, Oz never experienced that because lawyers gotta lawyer and he didn't have anyone to talk to about what he was going through. It was nice to have someone react like that. Right?
> 
> Next chapter: We're almost done with the fic, we should probably start taking care of all our antagonists. You guys guess who gets it first!


	29. Chapter 29

The first day of Driver's Ed was not what Yang thought it would be. First, there was a fifty page PDF she was supposed to study. Second, there were actual _lessons_ , she wasn't allowed to get into a car and start driving without a certain number of hours. Third, she was the only one there. She knew she was the oldest of the four of them, but she didn't think she was _that_ much older.

None of this stopped her from being excited, however. Once she got her driver's license, she could get her motorcycle license, and then she would be in _business_. It had been a fantasy of hers since she was eleven and had found a hollowed out motorcycle in the garage when they were cleaning out. At first she'd loved the idea because it was her mom's, now she loved the idea because she would take that bike and make it do _good things_. She had no idea what, but she was determined to fix the imaginary rep on that bike.

But first her driver's license. Geez, put her in front of the wheel, already!

There were some cute girls in the class from different schools, but they didn't bother looking her way. Ah, well.

It was dark once class was over, the late January days still at their shortest. Once she packed up her stuff she went to the front entrance to see if Dad or Uncle Qrow were there yet. It was almost five so she figured they would be. What she wasn't expecting was Blake huddled by the heater of the front entrance, coat zipped up and staring out the window.

"Blake?"

Yellow eyes drifted up to her. "Oh. Hey, Yang," she said, uncurling herself and standing up. "You're still here?"

"Yeah, Driver's Ed. We only just got out. Why are _you_ still here?"

"I was staying after for math. Even with Weiss and Oscar helping me, Honors Geometry is hard, and I tanked a quiz. Mom's had back-to-back clients and Dad said he was going to be late picking me up."

Yang looked out the front doors, and didn't see either her dad's car or Uncle Qrow's junker. "Looks like I'm waiting with you for a while," she said.

"Good," Blake said, before turning pink and covering her mouth. "I mean, I could use the company."

Yang felt the blood rush to her cheeks and her ears, but she managed to stay (relatively) calm. "S-sure. Glad I could help."

They both curled against the heater, deep in their coats and backpacks at their feet and it was… it was nice. Yang edged closer to Blake, to share body heat and all, and the other teen curled into her, and that was _really_ nice. Yang could hear music faintly, and realized Blake had ear buds hanging on her neck. Today her cat ears were dainty wire things with tiny plastic stones to reflect the light, and there was the scent of ginger…? Yang started to lean in to better identify it before she caught herself - didn't want to be too pushy after everything Blake went through. But _god_ she was hot, and so smart, and kind, and generous, and so brave to fight through her fears and…

Blake stiffened, leaned to the glass window and pressed her face to it.

"Yang! Tell me if you see a tall redhead in a black overcoat, down the driveway almost to the street."

Yang got up to her knees, then her feet to press herself to the glass. Her eyes traced down the parking lot to the driveway and towards the street. "Our side or far side?" she asked. "I don't see anything."

Blake sighed, pulling away from the window. "Just my imagination…"

Yang settled back down. "What do you mean?"

Blake looked at her, and her face was vulnerable and Yang wanted to punch whoever made her look that way.

"It's probably nothing," she said, looking away. "PTSD, probably. It's just… I keep thinking I see Adam."

Holy… "That must be terrible," Yang said, and her hands started to shake.

"I'm still talking to my counselor," Blake said, shaking her head, "He said it was natural. It's just… I know I'm seeing something that isn't there and that's… I know I sound crazy."

"... Not really," Yang said, sitting back next to her. "I mean, after the assault I kept remembering what happened. I'd wake up from dreams or I'd be putting dishes away and poof, I was in the alley again. My hands…" she looked down at them, willed them to stop. "They still shake sometimes, when I'm really keyed up, or I'm thinking about that night. I was starting to do pretty good, but then he sent those pictures out after Thanksgiving and…"

She looked up to Blake, saw her reach over and take her hands. "I'm sorry," she said. "I get so caught up in my own drama, I forget he hurt you just as bad."

"Hey, no. It's not 'just' as bad. He just broke an arm…"

Blake shook her head, pulling Yang's hands closer, cradling them to her chest. "That doesn't make it any less bad than what I went through," she said, leaning in. "If you're still hurting, then it's 'just' as bad."

And their faces were so close, and Blake's eyes were so bright and she was so beautiful and Yang's blood was on fire. She bit her lip, tried to tell herself to wait, because Blake needed to be healthy first before she said… Blake leaned in even closer, and it was lemon ginger, Yang realized, and _wow they were so close what was she going to do if they kissed_ -

There was a tap on the window and both of them _jumped_ , their eyes snapping to the window to see Dad there, smiling and gesturing to the front door to be let in. Yang got up, and no, her legs were _not_ shaky, and she opened the door.

"Finally here," Dad said brightly. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Oh, _he did that on purpose_ he was going to _suffer terribly_ for that. Yang huffed, crossing her arms. "What took you?" she asked.

"A debate on who would be picking you two up," Dad said brightly. "Got a text from Ghira, and things are running even later than he thought. Blake, want a ride home?"

"Y-yeah," Blake said, bright pink and standing up.

"Great," Dad said. "You can both sit in the back. That way I can watch everything you do."

Yang was going to _kill him!_

* * *

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled, giggling.

They were at Ozpin and Qrow's home, and Weiss chased after Ruby who had just grabbed the last cookie that Oscar had baked and Weiss was going to have _vengeance_!

"Too late, Weiss!" Ruby skidded behind the kitchen table and chomped onto the cookie. "Nom, nom, nom! It's mine!"

Weiss tackled her anyway. "But I loved the jam in those thumbprint cookies!" she giggled, reaching for the bitten cookie that Ruby held away. She was laughing again and she knew this was more befitting a child than the sophomore she was, but… It was _fun_.

"We have more," Oscar said. "I'd have to make the dough, though."

"What?" Weiss and Ruby said in perfect unison.

"You're always saying that cookie dough needs to chill!" Ruby accused.

Oscar held up his hands. "It doesn't technically need to. The longer you let the dough chill, the better the flavor. I've made thumbprint cookies without chilling the dough and it still comes out fine."

Weiss looked to Ruby and Ruby looked to Weiss. They smiled in unison and turned to Oscar. "Then we need to make some!" they said in unison.

"Ahh, oh… errrr," Oscar stepped back, nervous but smiling.

Weiss and Ruby burst out giggling.

"Sorry, Oscar," Ruby tried to catch her breath. "But it's just so fun to tease you!"

Oscar chuckled. "It's fine. Honestly, that's my favorite jam for the cookies, too, so you'll have no complaints from me on making more. I just need to look up the recipe."

"Don't you have it memorized?" Weiss asked, going back to the homework at the coffee table.

Oscar shook his head. "We're always making different cookies. After a while, it all blends together. Cream butter and sugar, more wet ingredients, then the dry, it's the same process but remembering all the different amounts for each recipe is a _lot_. Dad always says to have the recipe out anyway to double check." Then he gave a small smile. "Qrow said to check twice, measure once."

Ruby was giggling. "Good to know Uncle Qrow's being a good Dad!"

"My dad is Dad. Qrow is just my other dad."

"I'll help!" Ruby sang, already rummaging around the kitchen.

"No you don't!" Weiss called. "You interrupted our essay because of that cookie! You're going to get back here and finish it before either of us step _foot_ in that kitchen!"

"But Weiss!" Ruby whined. "What about Oscar's homework?"

"I did most of it in study hall," Oscar replied as he pulled out a hand mixer. "I've been done for a while, while you two were doing your work."

"No fair!" Ruby collapsed dramatically down by Weiss. "If only Blake and Yang were here! It'd all be done by now!"

Weiss snorted. "Actually, if all four of us were together, I doubt we'd be as far as we are. How's Yang liking practice?"

"She hates the conditioning, but the actual practice part she loves." Ruby pulled over her notebook. "When does Blake get out of her counseling? Maybe we can call her."

"I don't know," Weiss replied, glancing over Ruby's notes. "Hang on, did you write this correctly?" she pointed to something. "I can't read your handwriting well enough to tell."

"Ehehehe," Ruby rubbed her head. "Not all of us can be calligraphers like you."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Basic penmanship doesn't take much skill."

"No, just loads of practice," Ruby replied.

Snorting, Weiss offered a hooded look. "You just say that because you never write anything down."

"Don't need to when I remember it all! Besides, that's what autocorrect is for!"

"You have yours off so that you can always type in lowercase for _aesthetic_."

"Details!"

They giggled again and started to go over the essay and double-checking their facts and points, discussing how things connected to the modern day.

Weiss looked over to her phone when it buzzed.

_Weiss. Text me_.

She blinked. _Whitley?_ He almost never reached out because of how buried he was under Father's thumb.

_What's wrong?_

_The police are here_.

Weiss stared at her phone. "Oscar? Can I use your dad's office?"

Oscar stepped out of the kitchen, flour dusted on his shirt. "Sure. Just don't mess with his notes or books. He's gotten _another_ idea for a paper that he's researching."

"Thanks."

"Weiss?" Ruby asked as she got up. Weiss just shook her head. There was no point saying anything until she had details.

_Can I call?_ she texted as she walked into the office. The desk was next to the window, the afternoon light spread across it and all the books opened with sticky notes and scraps of paper with various notes. As promised, Weiss didn't touch any of it, she just sat in the swivel chair and put her feet up on the window sill.

_I wouldn't recommend it_.

_What's going on?_

The three dots of typing appeared and Weiss settled in to wait.

And wait.

What kind of wall of text was she about to get?

_Last week the police came. Father didn't let them in. They served a search warrant and took his computer. Father then contacted with his lawyers and to try to fight. Other computers were also taken. Father was livid. When he went to work the next day he found out his work computer had been taken as well…_

Weiss stared, her mind awhirl. _What_?

_...Father insisted that neither you nor Winter were to know under any circumstances…_

Of course.

… _The police are here now. Again. One is with Mother, but she's drunk and sobbing…_

Weiss winced.

... _The police are arresting Father._

" _What_!"

_He's being arrested?_

_I believe that's what I just painstakingly wrote out._

_Have you texted Winter?_

… _No._

_Let me call her._

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" Weiss hissed at the ring, but the phone went straight to voicemail. "Winter, you need to call immediately." She hung up and then called her sister's work phone directly. She reached the secretary.

"Hello," she greeted with calm politeness that she was currently _not feeling at all_. "I am Weiss Schnee, and due to a family emergency, I need to speak to my sister, Winter Schnee immediately. Is she available?"

The secretary demurred. " _She's in a meeting with her managers_."

Weiss bit her lip. "Forgive me for being so forward," she said politely, "but I must insist. Please interrupt the meeting and let my sister know I'm on the phone. She knows I'd never call like this if it wasn't important."

She could practically _hear_ the secretary thinking.

"Please," Weiss repeated.

" _I'll need to put you on hold_."

"Of course."

The hold music was classical and Weiss didn't know what to do. She was so full of energy, she wanted to run and scream, but she had to stay still and composed until she got through to Winter.

_I'm on hold. Winter is in a meeting. I've insisted on it being interrupted,_ she texted Whitley.

_Father is making a scene. He's insisting on his one phone call now._

_I bet it will be to a lawyer instead of family_.

_I wouldn't bet against you._

That actually made Weiss's lips twitch.

" _Weiss. You interrupted an important meeting_."

"Winter!" Weiss let out a huge sigh of relief. "Father is being arrested! Right now! Whitley's watching it!"

" _What._ "

"Father is being arrested in front of Whitley right now!" Weiss hissed. Emotion was bubbling up in her. "Whitley is watching this. I mean, I know he gave us that message, but… _Whitley is watching this_! Mother is currently drunk, he says. Do I go over and collect him? There's no way he can stay there now, what do we do? Winter!"

She could hear the shock in the silence. She could almost picture her sister's mind working on overdrive the same way Weiss's was. When would Qrow get home? Another half hour at least. How long a drive for Winter? Twenty minutes if she left right now. Would the police still be there? How long a walk for her? Too long, she remembered that much. Who could get to her fastest?

Whitley! He may be a stuck up jerk after being under her Father's thumb, but he was still family! He _understood_ , he didn't deserve this!

" _I'm on my way_ ," Winter said firmly. " _I need to arrange for a few things here at the office. I'll be there in a half hour in the shortest time. More likely closer to forty minutes. You will_ not _go there, Weiss. Not if Father is still there._ "

Weiss heard the door behind her but she didn't pay attention. " _Winter_!" she hissed. "We can't leave Whitley there like that! We need to be there _now_! If Mother's already drunk the police won't leave him in her custody. It's a miracle the police haven't called you yet. I'm closer, I can get there first!"

" _Absolutely not, young lady,_ " Winter repeated. " _I will not have you seeing that. Whitley is enough and he shouldn't even be seeing it. I'm going to hang up now because I_ need _to start arranging so that I can get there_ faster _. I can't do that if I'm arguing with you_."

"But Winter!"

" _I'll see you shortly._ "

She hung up.

" _Argh_!" Weiss growled, squeezing her phone in her hand wanting to break it.

"Miss Schnee?"

Weiss whirled around in the chair, banging her ankle on the end of the desk. "Professor!" she stood up. "You're home early. Yes! Perfect! You have to take me home right away!"

Professor Ozpin stood there, leaning on his cane, eyes wide in question. "I'm afraid I need more explanation than that. Why are you in my office?"

"I needed to call Winter," Weiss said hurriedly. "Father's being arrested! Whitley's still there! We need to go get him! Mother's drunk, no one will leave him in her custody, we need to-"

Ozpin held up a hand again. "A moment," he said softly. "Your father is currently being arrested."

"Yes! That's why-"

"And your mother is drunk and unable to look after a minor."

" _Yes_ , I said that already, we need to-"

"Do you want to see your father in handcuffs?"

Weiss froze. "What?"

Ozpin looked at her sadly. "You've been exhausted by this custody case and I remember some of the talks you and your friends have had about creating charges for Jacques to be arrested. Now he actually is. Do you want to see that?"

Weiss shook her head. "That part doesn't matter! I mean it does, but not now! _Whitley_ \- I know he's been a jerk and all, but… he has to have somewhere to go."

"And your father?"

"Can rot in hell," she said icily. "I've only seen him because of any legal document he's produced. I don't ever want to see him again."

Ozpin nodded. "I'll drive you there," he said. "But you need to understand, as long as your Father is still there I am _not_ parking and letting you near him. You're focused on your brother, but don't forget that you don't want to see your father."

Weiss nodded, the details didn't matter. She raced to the living room and started hurriedly grabbing her books and notebook.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, clearly surprised.

"I'll text you," she said in a rush. _Book, book, where was the math book?_ She raced to the kitchen and grabbed it before stuffing it into her bag. "I have to go. Text everyone!"

"Text them what!"

"Come on, Professor!" Weiss said. "We need to go!"

"Dad!" Oscar said. "You just got home! If you're early that means you _left_ early and need-"

Ozpin was hugging his son. "Call Qrow. Tell him my phone is dead and that Weiss is having a family emergency."

" _Professor!_ "

"And tell Qrow that Weiss's mother might need Clover."

"Um, yeah, but, Dad-"

Weiss came over and tugged at Professor Ozpin's coat. "Come _on_!"

"Dad, take my phone! I can borrow Ruby's."

"As you wish."

They finally left.

* * *

When walking from her home to Tai's in the middle of the night, it had taken Weiss roughly two hours. The drive was closer to ten minutes. Ozpin turned onto her street and parked at the side of the road.

"Professor, why are we stopping here?"

"Distance," he replied.

Weiss looked to him. "But Whitley-"

"Weiss," he said softly. "You don't want to see your father. At the end of the street, we can't even see your home. That means we won't see him. Text your brother and see if your father is still there."

Of course, how could she not think that? _Whitley, Winter is on her way. Professor Ozpin has driven me here, but we won't come if Father is still there._

Those damn three dots!

_The police took Father away a few minutes ago. There are still policemen here trying to figure out what to do about me and mother._

_I'm coming!_

* * *

Ozpin pulled up to the curb two houses down from Weiss' actual home. Partially because if Jacques was still there he didn't want either he or Weiss observed, and partially because the _last_ thing he wanted was to get in the way of the police.

With the engine off, Weiss went for the door and Ozpin relocked it.

"Professor!"

"Weiss," he said firmly. "You are not leaving this car until you calm down." He looked her right in the eye. "How do you want the police to see you? Flustered and demanding, or calm?"

"I _know_!" Weiss hissed. "I know…"

"Take a moment. Breath."

Weiss did so and it looked like a breathing exercise that she might have learned singing, but if it helped calm her down, Ozpin wasn't going to say anything. While she calmed, he eased his own way out of the car. He had left campus early today because his leg was bothering him worse than usual and the extra time in the car wasn't helping. He was too tall to let his leg be straight in a car and the bend always pressed the bone fragments into his kneecaps making the hour long drive ache.

Standing, he limped over to the other side of the car and waited patiently for Weiss. After another minute, she was able to come out calmly. "Let's go."

Ozpin nodded and though it was obvious she still had an excess of energy, she kept to his pace. Thankfully his height gave him long strides that didn't delay them too much.

There was still a cruiser in the driveway as Ozpin and Weiss came up. Weiss started to pull out her keys, but Ozpin stopped her, ringing the doorbell instead.

"Professor, I have a key."

"Always let the police make the move," he replied quietly. "Never surprise them, always appear nonthreatening."

Sure enough, an officer opened the door.

"Hello," Ozpin greeted. "This is Weiss Schnee. She was visiting with my son this afternoon."

"Hello," Weiss curtsied. "I am concerned for my brother. May I please see him?"

The officer blinked, smiled, and opened the door further.

"I hear Mother upstairs," Weiss said softly. She turned to the officer. "May I see my brother?"

"He's upstairs in his room," the officer replied.

As they headed upstairs, Weiss helped Ozpin with the stairs.

"Thank you," he murmured.

But Weiss was already heading down the hall. "Whitley!" she cried out. "Are you okay?" And, like Ruby, she tackled her brother into a hug.

"Weiss," her brother said softly. He was stiff and pale, but slowly his arms came up to hug his sister. " _Weiss_. What's going to happen?"

"Winter's on her way. You're coming home with _us_!"

"I… I don't know…"

Ozpin stayed at the door, giving the siblings time, and leaning heavily on his cane to try and stretch out his bad leg more.

"I…" Whitley took a deep breath. "I'm…" and his voice wobbled.

Weiss was already teary. "It's okay to cry, Whitley. Father isn't here. He doesn't have to know."

"I _can't_ cry…"

"You can," Weiss said, hugging him close again. "It's safe to."

And he cried. Ozpin locked eyes with Weiss and she nodded.

Good girl.

Ozpin stepped back, looking to the officer. "I believe that the siblings need a moment."

"I noticed," the officer said. "I'll keep an eye on them if you want to get going."

Ozpin shook his head. "I appreciate the officer, but I'll stay until the Schnee children are settled for the night."

The officer nodded.

Still, Ozpin glanced back at the emotional maelstrom going on, it might be better for him to give them some privacy. He hobbled down the hall and pulled out Oscar's phone. Oscar had worked the settings to prevent it from locking, and he opened the group chat between him, Oscar, and Qrow.

_Schnee is gone. Weiss is with her brother now. Awaiting Winter._

The phone immediately rang.

"Qrow," he greeted, "I see you made it home."

" _What the_ hell _happened?_ " was Qrow's answer. " _I get home to find Oscar and Ruby worrying themselves nuts- Yes, the two of you were going nuts- and have a garbled explanation of you leaving in a hurry with Weiss. What were you even doing home so early?_ "

Ozpin went through the details softly, with Qrow putting the phone on speaker so that he ended up fielding questions from all three of them.

"Alas," he finally said, "you three know everything that I know. I'll keep updating you."

" _You better_ ," Qrow grumbled. " _Oscar and I will have a bath ready for you when you get home. I got some cream from the pharmacy that might also help._ "

Unlikely but the gesture was sweet. "Thank you," he said softly. "I'll text when I'm heading home."

" _Be safe, Dad._ "

"I will."

He put Oscar's phone away and turned to go back down the hall to check on the siblings.

"Doctor Ozma," came a watery, hoarse voice behind him.

Ozpin turned around. "You must be Mrs. Willow Schnee," he greeted quietly. "I regret meeting you under such circumstances."

Willow was a mess. Red eyes from much crying, red cheeks from much drinking, hair askew, clothes rumpled with a robe thrown over it. She tottered over and her breath reeked of the tang of alcohol. "Are you here again?" she blurted.

Ozpin frowned. "I have never been here before," he replied.

"You'rre here frr another of my chhhildren."

He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Tears were leaking from her eyes. "... ssshtarted with Winter. One classsh an' she changed… Then Weissssssh. Now y're here frrrr Whitley. You kidnap all my chhildrrren."

For the briefest of moments, her words cut through all of Ozpin's defenses. He could remember Salem and the divorce, decrying that he'd kidnapped Oscar from under her nose before using every lie she could think of to discredit him. The pain blossomed sharp and deep and Ozpin needed to close his eyes for a moment and let it wash over him.

"Mrs. Schnee, you are inebriated," he replied calmly. "I understand that it might seem that way to you, but I assure you, your children are quite capable of making their own decisions. They-"

" _Ssshut up_ ," she hissed between sobs. "I'm _alone_ 'caussshe of _you_ …"

_Don't leave me here all alone! I need you!_

Salem echoed around his mind, and Ozpin knew that today just wasn't going to be a good day. Still, he offered sympathy and compassion because alcoholism was a disease.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," he replied. "I have called for someone to be here so that you won't be alone."

"Not the ssshamme," she slurred, still sobbing. "My _children_!"

Ozpin heard a door downstairs and wondered if that was an officer or Winter.

"You are upset and intoxicated," Ozpin said softly and clearly. "You need rest. In the morning, after your hangover, you'll be able to think with a clear mind and see-"

She slapped him.

Hard enough that his head snapped to the side and his glasses scattered off his face and clattered to the floor. He saw an officer coming down the hall and pick up speed. Ozpin merely stepped back against the wall.

"Okay, Mrs. Schnee, this isn't how I would have thought we'd meet," said… was that Clover? standing in front of Mrs. Schnee like a human barricade of muscle. "I'm a sponsor from Alcoholics Anonymous. I understand you're upset?"

The officer went right to Mrs. Schnee grabbing her hands and pulling them behind her, but she just sobbed uncontrollably, crying out for her children.

Clover glanced to Ozpin, mouthed that he had this, and Ozpin nodded, backing away down the hall to check on the siblings. He bent down carefully to pick up his spectacles.

Whitley was at the door, and Ozpin held up a hand. "You're mother is upset," he answered the unspoken question. "Someone is with her now."

Whitley was scowling. "I should-"

" _No_ ," Weiss said firmly. "Adults handle adult problems. It's not our job. That's how Father stops us from thinking, he buries us under responsibility that isn't ours."

"But-"

"I assure you," Ozpin said calmly. "Your mother is in capable and experienced hands. Let her be." He glanced around the room. "I assume Winter will be here shortly?"

"Yes," they both said.

"She texted," Weiss continued. "She just got off the highway. She'll be here in a few minutes."

Ozpin nodded. "I understand that everything has been difficult. Have either of you looked at packing?"

"Oh," Whitley said. "What… Clothes. Toiletries." He looked around, lost.

Weiss stood and put an arm around his shoulders. "I have some ideas. Let's get organized. Get your backpack and gym bag. Is your luggage where it usually is? I'll grab it."

Whitley nodded and Weiss took off. The boy looked to him. "My sisters hold you in high regard."

"I esteem them greatly and am honored that I have somehow earned their trust."

Whitley raised a brow.

"I believe your sister mentioned your backpack and gym bag."

"Oh. Yes."

Ozpin let Weiss through when she came back with a wheeled suitcase, and stepped further away when Winter came hurriedly up the stairs. She paused. "Professor," she greeted.

"Winter," he said softly. "Your family needs you, it seems."

She nodded and headed into Whitley's room. Given the crowd, Ozpin hobbled back down the hall, reaching up to rub his stinging face. An officer came over to ask questions.

Ozpin let out a heavy sigh. "I won't press charges," he said. "She's hurting and inebriated. I was merely a convenient target."

"It's still assault," the officer said.

"I will not press charges. Those children don't need to see their mother taken away in handcuffs as well."

"Still need a statement."

"Very well."

After going over it again, Ozpin headed down to where he could hear Clover. Mrs. Schnee was in her room, sobbing, but settled in her bed. Clover caught his eye and came over.

"Hey, hot prof," he greeted.

Ozpin frowned. "Please, Clover, no flirting. Save it for Qrow."

Clover gave a wan grin. "I'll tell him you said that."

Ozpin groaned.

"Seriously, Professor, you okay? I saw Willow there slug you across the hall."

"This would be where I say that only my pride was injured," Ozpin replied tiredly. "Her words were worse. But I'll talk to Qrow once I'm home."

Clover nodded. "Just so you know, this isn't how sponsorship works. You don't just call someone you know is a sponsor and have them come over. I came because someone obviously needed help but…" he shook his head.

"Then I apologize," Ozpin said softly, feeling all the weight around him.

"It's fine, you wanted to help." Clover took a deep breath. "Crash course on sponsors. It starts with going to an AA meeting. Willow there," he jerked a thumb towards her, "has never been to one and doesn't want to. At a meeting, you usually ask someone you admire, someone who's come through it and is doing okay, to be your sponsor. That's how Qrow got me. Tai had dragged him to a meeting or two and, sloshed off his feet, Qrow asked me to be his sponsor."

"I hadn't realized."

Clover shrugged. "Qrow doesn't remember. Willow there, I think she'd need a female sponsor. I'm way too flirty and banter too much to be a good match for her. I'll stay tonight and leave some numbers for her, but she has to _want_ to stop drinking. Qrow knew he shouldn't be drinking, but it wasn't until his nieces broke through to him that he started working at it. You know how that went."

"Unfortunately." Ozpin let out another heavy sigh. "It seems that there has been a great deal of collateral damage in this house."

"Yeah, you included," Clover leaned in looking at Ozpin's face.

Ozpin leaned back, uncomfortable.

"Gotta say, Professor, I wasn't expecting you to handle that so well when I saw her slug you."

He shook his head. "She's not herself."

"How do you know? You ever met her sober?"

"No," Ozpin replied. "But it doesn't take much to smell the alcohol."

"Hm. Maybe." Clover leaned back. "You're a classy act, professor, as well as hotter than a volcano. Don't let Qrow disaster all over you. He'll never find someone so good again."

Ozpin gave a flat look. "I don't intend on letting Qrow go."

"Good." Clover ran a hand through his red hair. "I'm going to call some other sponsors who might be better for Willow. See if anyone's willing to try and drag her out of the bottle. Honestly? She might need an intervention as well."

"Let's see how she is without Jacques in her life first."

Clover shrugged, pulling out his phone.

He took a deep sigh, then Ozpin headed back to check with the siblings, sidestepping the officer. Whitley's suitcase was packed and closed, as was his backpack. His gym bag was in the process of being filled.

"That's enough," Winter was saying. "Anything else, we can collect as needed. This will give us time to settle."

"Whitley, you have to come with us to therapy. We're _all_ going to need to talk about this," Weiss was saying. "And before you repeat anything Father said about weaklings needing therapy, I have some youtubers to recommend who have talked about needing therapy, even though they're successful."

Ozpin let out a chuckle he wasn't really feeling. "Instead of the internet, where people can pretend to be whatever they wish, perhaps Taiyang might be a better role model on why therapy is useful."

"No time," Weiss replied, "we'll be going to therapy tomorrow. I need recommendations for _tonight_ if Whitley's going to be haughty about this."

"In that case," Ozpin said, "use yourself. After all, didn't you resist going to therapy?"

Whitley turned to Weiss. "You did?"

"No! Yes. I was surprised when it was suggested and thought that it meant other people!" Weiss was turning red. "That's how messed up I was!"

Whitley was smiling, and, Ozpin noted, he looked lighter. He'd accepted the change.

"We are all surprised when life deposits massive upheavals to our lives," Ozpin said gently. "We merely have to choose how to proceed when that happens."

Winter turned to him with her lips twitching into a smile. "Professor, you don't have to lecture us anymore."

Ozpin gave a more gentle smile. "But who's to say? There are two young Schnees here who may enter my classroom one day. I'd best be ready for either of them."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Only if you teach at Yale. I plan on going there for my degree."

"That's still two years away. One day at a time," Winter said firmly. "Right now, we need to spirit Whitley away." She looked around. "We've spent enough time here."

"Is there anything else I can do?" Ozpin asked.

Winter shook her head. "We have things under control."

Weiss came over and hugged him tight. "Thanks for bringing me here," she said, eyes watery. " _God_ , I'll be glad when this is all settled. I'm tired of my emotional defenses being tissue paper."

"Marathons do wear you down," Ozpin agreed. "I'll be departing then."

"Oh! I'll help you with the stairs," Weiss said. She turned to Whitley. "Be right back."

"Thank you," Ozpin said. "You don't have to-"

"Who's going to, the police?" Weiss rolled her eyes. "They don't know you."

Ozpin could only nod, face still stinging. Once down the stairs, Weiss walked him out to the driveway. She glared at it. "It's icing over," she growled. "I'll help you to your car. Just let me grab a flashlight so we can watch out for black ice." She ran inside then came back out. "The officer said they'd be leaving soon, once we had Whitley squared away and Mother was asleep. Thank you, for calling Mr. Ebi."

"Quite alright," Ozpin replied, stepping aside from some ice. "I'm glad I could help. Though your mother must make that final decision."

"We know."

Ozpin nodded. "You let us know if you need anything."

"We will." Weiss looked up and smiled her first real smile since Ozpin had come home to this surprising event. "Thanks, Professor."

"Look after Whitley," Ozpin said softly. "Give him time. He will not be where you are swiftly. It will take a great deal of patience."

"I will. Winter said we won't be in school tomorrow."

"Unsurprising."

They arrived at his car and Ozpin sighed at getting in. "Be safe, Miss Schnee."

"You too."

Ozpin sat in his car and watched Weiss head back before leaning forward against the wheel. Memories were hovering at the edges, weighing him down, but he brushed them aside again and took a deep breath. He texted he was on his way home and arrived to find Ruby was still there with Oscar and Qrow.

"Dad! Bath is running," Oscar came out to grab his briefcase.

Qrow was helping him out of the car. "I'll help you get into the tub. Ruby's in charge of dinner. Clover texted that you got slugged?"

Ozpin sighed. "I'll explain as you help me get into the tub."

* * *

Qrow helped Oz strip down in the quiet of the bathroom as he explained the whirlwind of an evening that it had been. Qrow just sat by the tub as Oz had his bath, massaging his bad leg, and remembering that _bitch_ accusing him of kidnapping, having had to speak to the police before he'd even left to make sure that there _wouldn't_ be a kidnapping charge, and the long legal process of getting the restraining order in the first place.

"You shouldn't have had to go through any of that shit, Oz," Qrow said, running a hand through Oz's white hair. "No one should. I'm sorry that it all came up."

"I'm alright," Oz said softly. "Even a year ago, if anyone had said anything like that, I suspect that I might shut down. I'm still living in the moment, talking, interacting. I'm just… Sad. Tired. I have so many regrets from California. Staying with Salem as long as I did, accepting what she did without fighting back, not recognizing the signs for what they were, the list seems endless."

"Well, you're not there anymore."

And Ozpin turned with a sincere smile, if sad. "No. Now I have you." And he leaned forward to kiss him. Gentle and sweet, wet, soapy hands going into Qrow's hair. "I'm not sure I've ever been so glad to have met you as I am right now. I can't discuss these things with Oscar. Not now while he's still so young."

Qrow lightly kissed Oz and just hugged him. "He wants to know these details, you know."

"I know. When he's older. It won't be good to hear any of them and while he has no illusions about his mother, I don't want to ruin whatever good he has left yet." Ozpin sighed and kissed him again. "Help me up?" he asked tiredly.

"Of course," Qrow said.

Once Oz was sitting on the toilet seat and toweling dry, Qrow just leaned over and hugged Oz close. Because at that moment, all he wanted to do was be a balm over Ozpin's wounded soul. The same way he was whenever Qrow wanted that drink.

"What do you need?"

"Distraction," Oz replied, reaching for the pajamas that Oscar had pulled out. "I'll wallow in memories if I'm left to my own devices."

"Ruby and dinner will certainly keep you focused," Qrow offered wryly. Then he waggled his eyebrows. "Want me to be _that_ kind of distraction tonight?"

Ozpin actually laughed. "A fascinating idea, but I won't be a good lover tonight. I'm not in the mood and I'm not even sure if my body would respond with how I'm feeling."

"Got it," Qrow said. "Sappy then? Snuggles and cuddles?"

Oz laughed again. "What, a romantic movie by the fire? I'll remind you, Mr. Branwen, that you and a couch can be a dangerous thing."

"Hey, you started it that time. A 'rarity you wished to enjoy' if I remember correctly."

And Oz hummed, eyes actually sparkling for a brief moment before he went quiet. "Still, a family movie. That might be a good idea."

Qrow smiled. "We'll let Ruby pick. Watch Oscar squirm if she goes for a chick flick."

Ozpin chuckled again before going quiet.

Qrow helped him stand to get his boxers and pants on, and Ozpin made a few test motions with his leg.

"Better. Now, what has your niece done for dinner?"

"Dunno," Qrow smiled. "Told her to surprise us."

Ozpin gave a flat look. "How experienced is she in the kitchen?"

"None."

Flat look intensified.

"Oscar's with her."

Oz's lips twitched.

Qrow hugged him close again. Whatever Oz needed. He'd do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, thus, one of the antagonists is put to bed, never to be seen from again. I mean yeah, fallout is still gonna fallout, but the worst is now officially over for the Schnee family, huzzah! Whitley is finally in a safe environment, Weiss and Winter will look after him, they all get to heal, and there's room if Willow chooses to join them. That's left up in the air since we haven't seen the resolution to her arc in V8 and this was written in April when v7 had only just finished. We do see the different side of her, the one where she's drunk, which is a bit different from when she's sober or even just tipsy. Really, the scene kind of speaks for itself, there isn't much to talk about.
> 
> Also, Blake and Yang being uselessly in love. Between the fluff and the drama... eh. This one's actually pretty balanced.
> 
> Also, also: it was just pointed out to us that we weren't tagging the fact that there are some abusive relationships - we've spent the majority of the fic thinking we were tagging as we went and we didn't. Oops! That should be fixed now, though it might be too little too late.
> 
> Next chapter: One antagonist down; two to go, though I'm guessing it's obvious who's next.


	30. Chapter 30

"How's the therapy going?" Blake asked, packing up her things.

"Better," Weiss said, "Once we finally got him there. All three of us were sitting there and Winter was doing the most talking, and then the therapist turned to Whitley and asked what he thought of all of this. He didn't really say anything, and Winter and I were ushered out of the room for the second half of the meeting. When Whitley came out he'd been crying. The next two sessions were just for him, and he won't tell us what they talked about, but he talks more in therapy now."

"That makes sense, I guess," Blake said, nodding her head. "I mean, he was stuck with your parents the longest, and you said he hinted at being pretty resentful for being left behind. He might not have been comfortable saying anything with you two there."

"And how are things with your counselor?"

"... Okay, I guess," Blake said, looking down. "I've been telling him about seeing Adam everywhere. He thinks it makes sense for me to be paranoid - predators like him are unpredictable and it's not uncommon for them to overlap with stalkers. That doesn't make me feel better, because if he really is stalking me…"

Ruby leaned in and hugged her. "Don't worry," she said brightly. "The Defense Squad is on the case!"

Blake made a face. "Ruby, he also said it's possible it's all in my head, that my head is trying to process everything that's happened and can't accept that I'm safe now. That worries me, too - if I'm seeing things that aren't there…"

"Still don't worry," Ruby said, squeezing, "'cause we're still gonna help!"

Blake smiled but didn't say any more. She had learned her lesson about running away - about not bothering them with her problems, about hiding her pain. But, at the same time, Weiss had just gone through something as major as her father being arrested and her brother now living with her - and her mother was still an alcoholic. So much was happening in her life, and Blake understood intimately well that those kinds of problems were all-consuming and she didn't feel right talking about her own problems. Not that she didn't need to, but it felt like some kind of twisted "who has it worse" competition. Weiss had admitted that what she was going through wasn't as bad as what happened to Blake, but that didn't sit well with her, because Blake's "issue" was one bad event that _didn't die already_ , while Weiss had undergone years of hell. She didn't want to compare, so she tried to keep the two problems in different conversations.

Weiss seemed to sense her discomfort. "When do you next see your counselor?" she asked.

"Saturday," Blake said, finally finished packing. "He's mostly fine - it's just weird talking to someone I'm supposed to."

Weiss nodded. "It took awhile for me to get used to it," she admitted, "So I understand."

Ruby shrugged. "I was too young to get it, but Dad says that you have to have a connection for it to be good."

Blake shrugged. "Our connection is okay, I guess. It's just easier to talk to you guys and my mom. Speaking of which, I should get going before I miss the bus."

"Next year will be so much better when we all have our licenses," Ruby moaned.

"According to who?" Weiss asked. " _You'll_ still be too young to drive, and Winter has firmly told me that I'm not getting a car until I'm eighteen."

"And we can't afford a car," Blake said. "So it'll be the bus until graduation."

"But isn't that what jobs are supposed to be for?" Ruby asked, whining.

"So… you get a job to get a car to go to your job?" Blake asked. "I can barely keep up with math as it is with you and Weiss and Oscar helping me. If I got a job I'd have even less time to study. I'll wait."

"You sure you don't want to wait until Yang comes back from driver's ed?" Ruby asked, and she had a weird grin on her face that made Blake automatically suspicious. Was she planning something…?

"I already waited until your dad got home," Blake said. "If I wait any longer I'll miss the last bus." And she _really_ didn't like the idea of walking all the way to her house _after dark_. She was so paranoid by this point she'd jump at anything. She was nervous taking the bus as it was. Even with the longer days and Spring Equinox having just come and gone, she was jittery being in any vehicle that didn't have her parents or her friends there. Even with her friends, sometimes she would catch a glimpse of that red hair, or his car, or something else that made her think Adam was here. She'd lost count the number of times she'd had Yang look around to see if she wasn't crazy.

… She probably was.

Blake shook her head, saying her goodbyes and getting her winter coat on. The Xiao Long house was on a side street off the main road. Five minutes from a grocery store, seven from a pharmacy, and a fifteen minute walk to a bus stop. She pulled out her phone to set up her music, putting on her cat ear headphones to act as semi-ear muffs. Lo-fi chill music filling her ears, she made her way to the bus stop.

Three people were there, a mom and her child, barely four, and a tall man with a long, long, _long_ rat's tail of a black braid in a brown trench coat. Blake moved under the covered seat, pressed herself into a corner, and watched. Her gold eyes went everywhere, but she didn't see any red hair. After the assault she had started carrying pepper spray, and since she started seeing things she kept it firmly in her grip in her pocket. The music kept her calm, the soft tones low and soothing, and she repeated to herself, over and over, that Adam wasn't here. Adam wasn't here. Adam wasn't…

She took a deep breath when the bus arrived, let everyone else get on before stepping onto the steps. Blake peaked her head over the tops of the seats, only one step up, but she didn't see any red hair or black trench coat. Feeling almost safe, she moved to the very back of the bus and sat in the last seat she could find. She cast her eyes out over their heads one last time, and she let herself relax.

It was three bus stops to hers, and every time it stopped she held her breath as people got on. Adam was never one of them.

Her stop was almost clear across town - she lived on almost an acre of property, the houses were all set back and far bigger than Yang and Ruby's, or Qrow and Professor Ozpin's. Blake had never realized she was middle class until she realized the difference in the size of their houses and where they were located in town. Her stop was still a twenty minute walk to her house, and she knew it would be the hardest twenty minutes of the day.

"... Maybe I should have waited for them to pick me up," she muttered, but she shook her head against the idea. That was the fear talking, and she was determined to keep her life as normal as possible. Adam was _not_ going to control how she lived her life.

She took a deep breath and gripped her pepper spray, getting off the bus.

The sun had set while riding, and there were only faint traces of light on the far side of the sky. The streetlights were already on. Blake watched the bus drive on, turning three-hundred sixty degrees to make sure she was safe, and started walking to her house. "Have a sidewalk," she repeated to herself. "Have a street light. I'm safe: sidewalk, streetlight, safe. Sidewalk, streetlight, safe."

She hated how much of her life had changed. Honestly there were so many things she hated: her stupidity for falling for Adam, what happened to her on Halloween, how she was still so messed up by it, how much she ran away from her problems, how hard she had to work to get herself back to normal, how Halloween still rippled through her life via those _damn_ photos, how she was still seeing a counselor, how much she had hurt her friends…

But they still stuck with her, she reminded herself. She had done some terrible things, _especially_ to Yang and Ruby when she threw her newly-found anger in their faces, but they were still there, and she was determined to stick it out - even if she was going crazy. Ruby deserved it. _Yang_ deserved it.

Yang…

Her cheeks colored at the thought of the blond, her athletic form and her sheer tenacity, and something pooled deep inside her, made her tingle in strange places. She started to smile at the thought, but then she ran out of sidewalk and her momentary sense of safety disappeared. Blake took a deep breath. No sidewalk for the rest of the walk, and soon no more streetlights. Her heart rate started to tick up, but the music reminded her she was fine, she wasn't going to see Adam, he was a _figment of her imagination_.

Further down the street she saw a silhouette, and she sucked in a breath, moving under a street light and gripping her pepper spray. It wasn't Adam it wasn't Adam it wasn't-

Red hair. Black coat. Ruined eye.

Oh _god_.

Two things happened simultaneously: her heart rocketed to her throat and she fumbled to pull her spray out of her pocket, and at the same time the fear was overridden by _anger that he was still here_ , and she held the can up.

"Hello my darling."

"Go away," Blake said, tilting her head back to let her headphones fall to her neck.

"Come now, my love, that won't be necessary," Adam said. It was the same tone as before: smooth and cool, soft and sexy, but now she couldn't hear those things: she heard dark and confident, manipulative and dangerous. Her entire body tensed, and she started to back up. Adam saw that, and he smiled.

"Running away again?" he asked. "Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?"

And that was when Blake realized the latest layer of manipulation. He _had_ been stalking her, she _had_ been seeing him, he was hoping to come across this frightened little girl, so worked up and paranoid that she would have no choice but to do as he said. Her mother, her counselor, Yang and Weiss, they all were shouting in her head, and even if she was _afraid_ , she wasn't going to _run_.

"I'm not running," she said, continuing to step back.

The smile disappeared. "... You will," he said, a dark promise, a threat, "but not before you suffer for your betrayal, _my love_."

"Betrayal?" Blake demanded, still stepping back. It was still a ten minute walk to her house, but Mom was home by now, and that's all she needed. "Betrayal of _what_? You've stalked me for what, _five months?_ You threatened to send pictures of me if I don't come crawling back to you and then act like you have any right to my _life_? I don't want anything to _do_ with your life! Now _back off_."

And Adam laughed - not the reaction she had expected. "Oh, Blake," he said. "You owe me _so much_ ," and his voice turned dark again. "Did you think all those gifts were for free? Did you think I would waste my time on you if I weren't going to get something out of it? You are going to spend a _very_ long time paying me back."

"Well you can have it all back," Blake said, leaving the light of the street lamp. "The necklaces, the clothes, the bracelets. You'll just have to go to the _landfill_ to find it and it's all yours."

"Ha," Adam laughed, the short bark he had when he thought something was stupid. When he thought _Blake_ was stupid. "And what about that night, huh? What about all the damage you did _that night_." His face plunged into shadow, he kept moving forward and Blake kept backing up. "You were going to make me so much money, and I was going to treat you like a _princess_."

"That's a lie and we both know it," Blake said, her voice low. "You weren't going to treat me like a princess. You were going to sell me, over and over, night after night, for the rest of my life."

"I would have taken care of you," Adam said smoothly.

"Sure," Blake said. "Orange juice in the morning, drugs to get me addicted to so I could owe you even more, and twenty men a night. I learned more about what you do in the last year than I ever wanted to." She reentered a street lamp, glanced at what street she was on. All she needed was to get to her street, then she could sprint to her house. "Let me go, Adam. I'm not doing anything you say ever again. Stop stalking me."

"I wouldn't have to be doing this if you just _behave_ ," Adam shouted, his calm exterior gone, his true colors showing. "But you're _selfish!_ "

"And you're _delusional!_ " Blake shouted right back, still walking backwards. "Now back off before I use this!"

Adam had regained his calm, glared at her though his damaged eye. "I'd feel a lot more threatened if you'd actually broken the safety seal," he said.

What? Pepper spray had a safety seal? Involuntarily, Blake looked to her can.

That was when he grabbed her.

* * *

"Are you sure this can't wait until tomorrow?" Dad asked as Yang put his car in park. "Not that I don't _love_ fearing for my life as you try to take turns at forty miles an hour on a side street, but it's _just_ a textbook."

"It's a textbook that Blake needs tonight to study for the test," Yang said, turning off the engine and giving her father back his keys. "And it gets me practice on the road."

"Practice taking turns as fast as possible."

"What? I'm not used to centrifugal force. I'll get the hang of it."

"Yang, that gives me intense fear when you next get on the highway. The onramp is basically a one-eighty turn, and I suddenly picture you flooring it just so you can get to highway speed."

" _Dad_. It'll be fine. I swear."

"Yeah, yeah."

Yang climbed out of the car, textbook in hand, as her dad got out and made a show of looking sick to his stomach. Rolling her eyes, she jogged up to the front door and rang the bell. Mrs. Kali opened it. "Oh, I didn't realize you were dropping Blake off," she said brightly. "She usually texts."

Yang blinked. "What do you mean? She's not with us."

Mrs. Kali blinked. "What?"

"She left to take the last bus," Yang said, "When I got home, we realized she'd forgotten a textbook. Did we beat the bus here?"

Mrs. Kali glanced at her watch. "The last bus should have stopped off fifteen minutes ago, she's probably turning onto the street right now. Do you want to wait for her?"

"Nah," Yang said, handing over the textbook. "I haven't even started my homework yet because of driver's ed."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Kali said with a pained smile. "Your poor father."

"I second that!" Dad said from the driveway.

" _Dad_ ," Yang hissed. "Could you _not_?"

"Well, if nothing else," Mrs. Kali said, "I know my daughter's going to be home soon. Let me get my coat. I think I'll meet her part way."

She disappeared for a minute and Yang pulled out her phone to check the time. Wouldn't Blake be here by now? She'd been saying for weeks she would run home once the street lights stopped because she kept jumping at shadows… something didn't seem right… She went back to the car and explained it to her dad. "Am I reading too much into this?" she asked. "I want to go running down the street and see if she's okay, but I don't want to be too pushy."

Dad frowned, rubbing his chin. "Tell you what," he said, "We'll join Kali on the walk to meet her. You can explain you didn't feel right and she can tell you if you're being sweet or not. Let me get the flashlight from my car."

Once Mrs. Kali came out, they started down the street, Yang powering ahead slightly as her anxiety started to get to her. Her hands were starting to shake again, and she knew it was probably over nothing. She shrugged into her fur lined bomber jacket and started to half jog ahead, letting Dad's flashlight light the way while he talked to Mrs. Kali about their days. Growing up with streetlights, Yang didn't realize how dark roads were without them. Everything was black with the set sun, the March air dipping below freezing - if there had been any snow left there would have been black ice everywhere. The end of the street T-boned with a main road - not one of the major streets but one of the city's bigger cut-throughs. She tried to remember which way she was supposed to go to get to the bus stop. Left…? She turned around and squinted into the flashlight. "Left or right?" she called.

"Left, dragon!"

"Thanks, Dad!"

Left there were street lights barely visible in the distance. In the dark it felt like miles away. She didn't see Blake, and now she was starting to get really worried. Blake should have met them by now, right? Yang broke out into a full jog - risky in the dark - towards the dim glow of far away light.

Was that movement?

Two figures… Yang turned around and saw her dad and Mrs. Kali had put a little speed on - they sensed something, too - and Yang pulled into a run, pumping her legs and arms in rhythm. It was a skuffle, Yang could tell that, but they were too small to see who it-

"I let you go once already, Blake! I will _never_ make that mistake again!"

Adam…!

"Hey!" Yang shouted, and as she got closer she saw Blake and Adam - _geez_ was his eye always like that? - fighting over something in one of their hands. Blake was growling, shifting, beautifully aggressive before she leaned in and Adam barked out a shock of surprise - she had bit him. Blake stumbled back, free and ran pell-mell toward Yang, who pushed even faster to meet her. "Blake! Blake!"

"Yang! He's real! He's been stalking me!"

Yang skid to a stop and took Blake in her arms, the two hugging each other tight. "Light," she said, voice shaky, "I need light."

Yang fumbled for her phone, pulling up the flashlight but Adam was there again, tall-dark-and- _angry as hell_ , lifting a fist. Yang's training with her dad kicked in and she ducked under the swing, shoving Blake away and lifting her guard up, adjusting her footing and bouncing slightly to pump herself up. Adam tried again and Yang was ready, blocking the blow and throwing a sharp right jab, darting her foot forward to plant behind his and using his weight to send him to the ground.

"You again?" Adam demanded, getting up.

"Yeah," Yang said, "Me again. Got a problem with that?"

Adam snorted, getting up on his feet. "Not really," he said, spreading his own feet. Crap, he had training, too. "We both remember how last time went."

Yang's hands were shaking again, she couldn't get them to stop. She was scared - she could admit that - Adam was older and bigger and just _scary_ \- but she loved Blake and she wasn't going to let her down, she _wasn't_. "Back off," she said, blood on fire.

Adam smirked in the darkness. "Really?" he asked, incredulous. "Trying to scare me so you won't die trying to protect her?"

"Yeah," Blake said, striding forward. "Amazing what happens when you have people who _actually_ care about you." She lifted her hand and Yang saw some kind of can in it. She sprayed, but nothing came out. She looked at it in shock, shaking the can and trying again.

"Nice try," Blake," Adam said with a sneer. "But it's below freezing out."

He shot forward _woah he was so fast_ and Yang backed up several feet to give herself room to react, keeping her guard up and focusing on either blocking or deflecting the blows. Patience, _patience_ , let the other guy tire himself out, Dad and Mrs. Kali would be on them in seconds; she just had to _wait_. She sidestepped, ducking a cross and risking giving an uppercut before sidestepping again, trying to see if she could see her dad. Adam got a good hit to her chest and she stumbled back. Blake was in her field of vision, shaking her can and cursing as bad as Uncle Qrow before giving up and throwing the can at Adam, lifting her own guard and taking a stance next to Yang. Her footing was _terrible_.

Adam saw that, too, and he smirked.

But then Yang saw what she wanted, and just to be a tease, she relaxed her guard, pointing to her chin slightly with an evil grin.

Adam rushed forward, but her dad was there, grappling a wrist and twisting, several belts better than Yang and head and shoulders better than Adam. Two swift punches, a roundhouse kick, and Adam was on the ground, breathless, trying to get up. That was when Mrs. Kali smashed his head with a flashlight.

And Yang smiled darkly. "Gotcha."

Dazed, Adam rolled on the ground, but Dad took the man's hands and put them in a lock behind his back. "You're lucky the girls are here," he said brightly. "If they weren't I'd _actually_ hurt you. If my brother were here you'd be _dead_."

"Blake!"

"Mom!"

The two hugged each other tightly, Blake was shaking again, and Yang darted in to add her own support. "It's okay," she said quickly. "It's okay, it's okay. It's over. He's going to jail now."

"I don't believe it," she gasped, and Yang belatedly faintly heard Blake's lo-fi music - somehow her headphones were still working. "I don't believe it. The pepper spray wouldn't work…"

"It's okay," Mrs. Kali said. "It's okay. Oh, my little kitten…"

Blake pulled away from her mother to drag Yang deeper into the three-way hug, burying her head into Yang's neck. Yang threw a glance to her dad, but he had everything well in hand, holding the dazed Adam down with one hand and talking to the police on the phone with the other. She squeezed Blake for all she was worth, nuzzling the thick dark tresses and placing a reassuring hand on the back of her head.

* * *

Tai hated phones sometimes.

He was trying to have a three-way conversation: a text chain with Ozpin and a phone call with Qrow. "Qrow," he tried to say. "Qrow… Qrow… _Qrow_ , stop swearing for three seconds so I can - _Qrow_ , do you want me to answer that or…" Rolling his eyes, he hung up, instead pulling up his text chain with Ozpin.

_Don't worry, I've no intention of leaving Oscar. Should I have Qrow bring Ruby over for the night while you continue to settle matters with the police?_ This was followed by two other lines. _I assume Qrow is swearing at you,_ and _Call me when you're done. I don't mind waiting._

Tai smiled at the professor's patience, and sent a text. _I Just Hung Up On Him._

_Don't worry. I'll get him settled. Should we take Ruby?_

_Yeah. I Don't Know When This Is Going To Finish and Ruby WILL Wait Up._

_Noted. I'll text Qrow._

Then his phone buzzed, Qrow: _Did you fckn HANG UP N ME?_

Tai: _Yes. Are You Going To Stop Swearing And Let Me Get A Word In Edgewise?_

… _Maybe._

Then, to Ozpin: _Wish Me Luck. Round Two._ He called Qrow. "Don't say anything, don't swear, don't make any noise other than when I prompt you. Got that?" he asked.

"... _Yeah,_ " was the sullen reply.

"Okay, now that I can actually explain a few things. One: you are taking Ruby home with you. She's going to wait up for us to get home and I have no idea how long it's going to take. Two: you are going to do _whatever_ Ozpin says when you get home to calm yourself the hell down. Three: you are _forbidden_ from swearing for the rest of the night, and I _will_ check with Ruby and Oz to see if you managed it. What number am I on? Four: Make sure you leave the back light on and that the house is locked up when you leave."

" _Tai, I know how to-_ "

"No interrupting," Tai said sternly, "Or I make sure you don't get laid for the next week."

There was an absolutely _wonderful_ noise of indignation that Tai pretended not to hear. "If you actually want to hear the rest of the story: the brat's in custody and sitting in a patrol car right now. Yang and Blake are both _fine_. Now repeat after me: the girls are fine."

" _... the girls are fine._ "

"Good. I'll text when we're finally done." Tai hung up and grunted, taking a deep breath. "I swear he's a third kid," he muttered, pulling his text chain back up. He explained everything to Oz, including the missive about swearing and checking in.

_I will do my resolute best,_ Oz replied, _though I notice the threat to his love life._

_Sorry. Needed To Hold Something Over His Head To Get Him to Shut Up._

_Please don't do that in the future_.

_Sure Thing. Sorry._

Tai finally looked up from his phone and sighed. It was nine o'clock, cold, and red and blue lights were still flashing down the street. Two cops were in the house interviewing Blake and Kali, and Yang was glaring out the window at the flashing lights, on silent guard duty. Tai's gaze trailed down to her hands, and he was pleased to see how still they were. He walked over and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You did good tonight, my sunny dragon," he said softly.

Yang looked down at her hands, also noticing how still they were. "Is it over now?" she asked. "Does it all get to go away?"

Tai pursed his lips but he gave her the truth. "It never goes away," he said. "Big stuff like this… it sticks with you. It bubbles up at weird times, things that have nothing to do with it set you off. There's a reason why March is so hard on your uncle and me."

Yang turned to look up to him, violet eyes slightly wide.

"You learn how to handle it responsibly," Tai said, pulling her closer. "Learn from Qrow's and my mistakes, know when you need to talk about it, when you need to fight it out of you. Look absolutely fine at the trial - Qrow and I will both be there to cheer you on. But," he added, "the _worst_ is over."

His daughter didn't say anything, just nodded and turned back to the window, staring at the flashing lights. Tai let her have her guard duty, gave her one last squeeze and turned to find Ghira. The giant community organizer had been absolutely _beside_ himself to see cops at his doorstep, his voice could be heard booming when he realized "that _predator_ tried to take _MY DAUGHTER?_ " and since then had his baby girl wrapped in his arms and refused to let go. Blake had leaned into it at first, but last Tai saw she was starting to squirm, and he figured he might have to stage a "rescue."

He found Ghira in the kitchen, sans Blake, and he looked up as Tai entered. "They said something about finding an address and sending a car over," he said. "Odds are there will be a lot of girls there."

"Yeah," Tai said, sitting down. "You knew where to find a crisis counselor, and you're a community organizer, is there a center or something you can use for this?"

"There is, in the capitol," Ghira replied, dragging a hand down his face. "I also have the number of some therapists who've dealt with things like this in the past."

"There's also rehab for a lot of those girls," Tai added.

"My little girl almost ended up there..."

Tai nodded. "But she didn't," he said softly. "That's the part you have to hold onto. The night she was supposed to disappear she got away and called for help. When he tried to terrify her she got mad instead. Tonight she tried to use pepper spray on the guy. She did everything she was supposed to. You have a pretty brave little girl, Ghira."

And, slowly, Ghria smiled. "... I guess I do," he said softly.

Tai left not long after to return to Yang, saw Blake hugging her tightly and Tai quickly decided to be somewhere else. He spotted Kali leaning against a doorframe and moved to join her. She smiled to see him, saying, "The police say they'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"Good. A long night is finally over."

"A long night, but with a happy ending," Kali said, and her eyes drifted to Blake and Yang hugging. "I know you said Yang had a crush on Blake, but I didn't really 'see' it until now."

Tai shrugged his shoulders. "I'm the token straight guy in the family," he said. "Qrow and Raven are both bi, and Yang just came out at the beginning of the school year. Now the professor's part of the family, and with Summer gone…"

Kali smiled. "I wonder if this means Blake…" she shook her head. "I shouldn't be guessing," she said. "She'll tell us when she knows, and we'll still love her, no matter what."

Tai snorted. "Make sure Ghira knows that. I'm starting to realize he goes Papa Wolf when he feels even a little bit threatened."

"Oh, I _more_ than know how to take care of that," Kali said with a sly, cheshire grin on her face. "Do you want to spend the night here with Yang? Give the two of them some time together?"

"I want to sleep in my own bed, if you don't mind," Tai said, not unkindly. "Have a few hours before my 'third kid' starts demanding to know what happened."

"Third kid?"

" _Qrow,_ " Tai said with a flat voice.

Kali laughed. "If you need me to mother him, let me know."

Tai in turn snorted. "You should be good," he said, "The professor seems to be doing a great job keeping him in line."

"That's me and Ghira to a T," Kali said. "If you or Yang need anything, let us know."

Tai nodded. "Same goes for us. We'll keep you posted."

"Same. Now we just have to pry apart the would-be lovers."

"Ugh, please don't put that picture in my head yet. Yang only _just_ turned sixteen."

Kali giggled.

* * *

April vacation was heaven, as far as Ruby was concerned. It had taken a lot of coordinating, but they had all arranged for one of their parents to be off and spend the day with them. Monday, Ozpin and Oscar had them all over and did a full-day cooking lesson with them. They all chose recipes for lunch and dinner (Ruby, of course, chose a recipe for strawberry shortcake) and he took them to the store for the ingredients and organized how to spend the day cooking and what should be started when. (They had started with dinner, because the pizza dough needed time to rise, as did the bread that was going with lunch.) They all had jobs at stations and it was amazing to eat something that they had all actually _made_! Tuesday Blake and her parents had them over for an extended movie day, where they all got to bring over a movie, watch it together, then pick it apart afterwards. (Oscar's movie was the most interesting. It was an old black-and-white film from the thirties that his dad liked. He talked a lot about the history behind it.) Wednesday Winter had taken them all to Hartford for the Connecticut Science Center, and they had spent the day exploring the exhibits. (Weiss was taking notes, pointing out that some of this might be in their science class later in the year.) Thursday Yang and Uncle Qrow had a video game tournament and Blake was the ultimate winner, to everyone's surprise.

But today was Friday! And while it may not be as extravagant as some of their other activities, her Dad was taking them all to the park for the was a sort of Do-What-You-Want sort of day. Blake had brought a lawn chair and was in the shade of a tree reading, Yang had brought their volleyball and was kicking it around like a soccer ball. But Weiss brought Whitley.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Whitley's friends needed to cancel last minute."

"That's fine!" Ruby chirped. "The more the merrier!"

"Many more and I'll need another adult," her dad grumbled.

"Hello," Whitley greeted politely, coming over. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He frowned. "It seems strange to say that given that all of you have been friends with my sister for so long."

"No worries," Ruby said, waving it away. "Your Dad is a jerk and that's not your fault."

Zwei barked at her feet in agreement.

"Oooh! Zwei! Who's a good boy! Yes you are, yes you are!" Weiss cooed, crouching down to rub the corgi's head. "What a good puppy!"

Ruby giggled, used to Weiss always being so enamored by their dog.

Whitley knelt down beside her. "Hello, doggo," he greeted softly.

Zwei instinctively knew that two humans were about to give him a ton of love, and he barked happily, rolling over to have Whitley rub his stomach.

"Heh, you two never had pets?" Ruby asked, crouching down as well.

"No," Weiss said. "Father never brought it up and as I grew up, I thought having a pet would be redundant with how much I was taking care of Mother."

Whitley looked between them, face trying to hide surprise with how readily Weiss discussed their father. He looked away and grit his teeth. Ruby gave him the space.

Zwei barked.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed dramatically, holding her heart. "How mean!"

"What?" Whitley asked flatly.

Zwei barked again.

"How dare you!" Ruby said, attempting to sob hysterically.

Tongue lolling out, Zwei barked two more times.

"That's it, Zwei!" Ruby swooned to the ground. "We're finished! No more treats! You need to work off that energy and that bad mouth!"

She bounded up to her feet and ran to the bag her father had next to the picnic basket. She pulled out the frisbee and stepped dramatically to Zwei, wagging the disc. "Zwei! For your meanness, you need to run! Yang!" Ruby turned to her sister, who paused with their volleyball. "Keep away!" and she threw the frisbee with all her might.

Zwei barked happily, chasing after it.

The game extended through most of the morning, Blake getting dragged into it when Whitley accidentally crashed into her trying to catch the frisbee and then both of them trying to pull the frisbee from Zwei's firm grip. Blake firmly announced that dogs didn't like her and climbed up the tree she'd been sitting under to get back to reading after a few catches that had Zwei barking right up to her. There was much laughter and giggling when Dad called them over for the picnic.

"Thanks," Weiss said softly. "I haven't seen Whitley play around like that in years."

"The overpowering power of Zwei powers over all!"

Weiss laughed, rolling her eyes. "That makes no sense."

"Doesn't need to make sense to be true!"

"Okay Zwei," Yang stood at the end of their lunch. "No more frisbee. Your teeth are too strong." She pulled out the volleyball. "Try and take this!" She took off running and Zwei happily barked after her and followed the ball when Yang kicked it to Whitley.

"Ah!" he scrambled up. "Sister!"

"On it!"

Blake sat behind Ruby on the bench. "Maybe if I stay with you that beast of yours will keep away from me."

Ruby laughed. "What are you reading? I think Dad brought some books in case we got too tired from running around so much."

Blake smiled.

An hour later, the others started collapsing around them from running around so much and Blake just offered Ruby a wink. Zwei proudly lay between both Schnee siblings, contentedly wagging his tail as they both petted him. The afternoon settled to quieter things, at least to give them a chance to regain some energy. Blake was by Yang, talking quietly, and Ruby sat with Weiss and Whitley.

"Of course, we need to start thinking of finals," Weiss said.

"Weisssss!" Ruby whined. "It's not even May yet!"

"But after April vacation, the end of the year is always much closer than it seems," Weiss replied primly. Then she slouched, smiling. "I won't bring it up again till May. I still need to organize all my notes, figure out the major topics of each unit, the works. Mr. Qrow has been helpful. Now that he teaches, I see how teachers plan their units and it's easier for me to pick out the important information."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, it's strange seeing him as a teacher. He was a third-shifter for years. Seeing him awake in the morning is so strange, even after almost a year of this."

Whitley looked over. "Your uncle is…" he trailed off, looking away.

"You can say it," Weiss said softly. "Qrow is a recovered alcoholic."

"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "He used to be drunk when we were little. Then he got that job as a third shifter. Then he was laid off. Professor Ozpin suggested Uncle Qrow be a teacher. None of us would have thought of it. Dad was really surprised, because Uncle Qrow showed no interest in being a teacher in college. But I think he's good at it. He's been teaching me and Yang for years. Now he teaches Oscar too."

"He did?"

Ruby nodded, happy to talk about her family.

Eventually, Whitley just looked away. "I see," he said, and stood, walking over to her Dad and carefully sitting down to talk.

"That's good," Weiss said softly. "It's…. He's had a hard time adjusting to being with us. He's recently started seeing the point of therapy and it's working better, but…" she shook her head. "It's a lot to work through. The two of us never saw change. That things changed for Qrow is too bizarre for Whitley to comprehend."

Ruby shook her head. "Everyone changes. You changed. Even growing up, you learned new ways to survive, you learned how to maintain and you refined it until you couldn't take it anymore."

Weiss gave a soft smile. "Yeah. It's…. Father's computer provided a lot of information for the police and he has a lot of charges against him."

"But that's his issue," Ruby said. "You're free."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm back in the news, but it's okay. Winter, Whitley and I, we'll be okay now. We're still trying to convince mother to get help but…"

"She's not there yet."

"No."

"That's okay. It's her choice."

Weiss nodded. "Thanks, Ruby. Meeting you, getting to be friends with you… I can't ever repay that."

Ruby sputtered. "What? What did I do?"

Weiss looked at her, and just smiled. "Never mind. Does Zwei need another walk?"

"Um… What?" Ruby blinked at the swift change of topics. "Huh?"

Chuckling, Weiss stood. "I'll get his leash from your dad and take him for a walk."

"Um, okay? But he's been running around already."

But Weiss left the shade, out to the sun and the bench her dad was set up at.

"Well that was strange…"

Ruby shrugged and headed over to Blake and Yang.

"Hey Ruby," Yang smiled brightly.

"Hey," Blake said distractedly, flipping the page of her book.

Ruby sat down. "Yang," she said solemnly. "Weiss is incredibly strange."

Yang laughed. "No duh. What'd she do this time?"

Ruby watched Weiss walk away, sun gleaming in her hair. "She thanked me for meeting me. Like, what did I do?"

Yang blinked. "Huh. I don't know."

Blake looked at the two of them. "Seriously?"

Both siblings looked to Blake.

Blake set down her book, giggling. "You do realize that the two of you have been a hefty dose of normal for her and me, right?"

"Really?"

Blake stared. "How can you not see this? Look, I know you two had it rough when you were younger, but you two are like… normal. You have healthy relationships, you are supportive, you don't push, you… you get it." Blake shook her head. "I don't know if I have the words for this. Weiss and I, the last couple years have just been abysmal. Like, full on staring into the abyss terrible. But we've had you two, your family, your support." Blake ran out of words again. "I know what Weiss means. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be with Adam, probably as a sex slave by now, addicted to drugs, and all sorts of bad things. Weiss would still be with her dad and her mom. There is no comparison. Meeting the two of you saved the two of us. Of course we're both so grateful to have met you."

Ruby's heart swelled. "I didn't… I mean I just wanted to help… so often I couldn't…"

"Yeah," Yang said, wide-eyed. "Like… um… yeah."

Ruby and Yang looked to each other.

Blake just smiled. "You two are something special."

"Awwww," Ruby looked down, running a hand through her hair. What did one even say to that? "Thanks."

* * *

Ozpin was humming to himself. The previous week had been graduation at Beacon, and he had the next three weeks of the house to himself as Qrow and Oscar were still in school. In fact, Qrow's school got out three days before Oscar's, something he was needling Oscar about with glee. But by having that time to himself during the day, Ozpin was keeping busy. He didn't plan on teaching for the summer, instead choosing to do research for another paper to write.

But before he did that, he had something of a self-assigned project. Ozpin's office was where he did most of his work, be it grading, research, writing, whatever he needed to worry about. Now that Qrow had moved in and spent the year teaching, Ozpin had noticed that this could no longer stay that way. Qrow did his grading and lesson planning on the couch, and Ozpin wouldn't allow for that any more. The year had been about adjusting to actually teaching, and now that Qrow had a system, it was time to improve it. And the first thing Ozpin wanted to do was give Qrow space in the office to do more of his work, rather than just using the couch. A desk to hold his textbooks, his laptop, whatever else he needed.

At the moment, Ozpin had an app open that he had used to scan the dimensions of the office and was using various features to rearrange bookcases and his desk to provide more space to get a desk for Qrow. It was an interesting mathematical diversion, especially since Ozpin needed more space to let his leg out. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they'd need to look into buying a new home, one with slightly larger rooms, but that was far lower on his priorities than actually paying off his medical bills so that he could incur _more_ medical bills by getting the surgery necessary to remove the bone fragments from his knee.

A glance outside showed that the rain had eased and was fading to sunlight. Hm. He hadn't had lunch yet. He should probably look into that. A glance at the app and Ozpin moved his digital desk by the window, forming a u-shape with a bookcase behind him, the window to the side, and his desk in front of him. That might give enough room for another desk for Qrow… Perhaps right angles?

The doorbell rang.

Blinking, Ozpin extended his cane and set his phone on the desk. If he was going to answer the door, he might as well also get lunch.

The doorbell rang again as Ozpin reached the door and opened it.

"Hello, Ozpin."

Salem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le Gasp! An honest to god cliffhanger! When was the last time that happened!
> 
> But first: Two antagonists down! Adam Taurus is off the board, huzzah! Also: those details about twenty people a night and only giving them orange juice in the morning etc? All from that PD of hell; i.e. it's all real. (shudder) Blake's story isn't over, per se, she still has to live with everything that happened to her, but unlike many girls in her her position, Blake is allowed to have closure by having the person who did this to her arrested, and she's in a healthy enough place where she can recognize that the worst of the story is over and all that's LEFT to worry about is recovery.
> 
> A lot of people had a part in the take down of Adam, because his story (and people like him) affect a LOT of people. Team Mom and Dad get to shine, Yang get's her famous "Gotcha" line from Vol 6, and Blake has agency too by (most importantly) verbally standing up to him, trying to pepper spray him, and also throwing the can at him, to say nothing of biting him.
> 
> And while it's not much we give a small snippet of Whitley being part of the family now. It's not much, but...
> 
> Next chapter. It's been thirty chapters of build-up to Oz and Salem meeting again. Pray we meet expectations.


	31. Chapter 31

Ozpin stared.

This had to be a nightmare.

Some sort of nightmare.

A dream. He must not have woken up this morning.

_How?_ was the only word echoing in his head. How did she find him? How did she get here? _How did this happen_?

Ozpin stared, his mental processes askew and off balanced at seeing her before him. Her hair was white. Her eyes were weighed by dark bags and too much mascara, staining the crow feet wrinkles.

_How_?

And then he was physically off balance as his cane was wrenched for him, leaving him stumbling.

That took Ozpin's attention away from Salem. A man, hair pulled into a braid, was studying the cane. Then he carelessly threw it over his shoulder, off the porch, and into the yard.

Ozpin was staggering on two fronts, as the man pushed Ozpin into the house, making room for both himself and Salem to waltz right in and shut the door behind them.

_How?_

Some part of his brain started functioning through the shock.

"I have a restraining order. You are not welcome here," he stated.

The man laughed. "Sorry, Ozzie-kins," he said, pushing Ozpin back. "We need to talk."

Salem gave a smile to the man. "Thank you, Tyrian." She turned to him. "Come, Ozpin. Let's have a seat. We have a great deal to discuss."

The man, Tyrian, giggled as he walked over to Ozpin's chair by the fireplace, and claimed it by crouching with his muddy boots on it. Salem took the couch, close to Tyrian, and gestured.

"You are not welcome here," Ozpin repeated.

Salem gave a tired sigh, shaking her head. "Tyrian?"

The man gave a great chuckle and nimbly jumped off Ozpin's chair. In two strides, he was at Ozpin's side, grabbing his arm, before Ozpin could hobble away, and Ozpin found himself pushed down to the couch. Tyrian reclaimed Ozpin's chair.

"We need to talk."

Harried, his leg hurting, and still trying to figure out _how any of this happened_ , he glared first at the new man Tyrian and then Salem. Clearly she had brought muscle, and Ozpin was in no position to outfight or outrun such an assailant. He was trapped in his own home, and the realization _burned_ in him, and he turned to his ex. "There is nothing to talk about," he said firmly. "You are in violation of the restraining order, you have had your man physically attack me, you are in _my home_ , I fail to see how you think any of this will somehow turn in your favor or-"

" _Ozpin_."

And even after so many years, the simple, calm, _dangerous_ tone made him fall silent. Tyrian giggled in his chair, perhaps knowing the tone himself.

Salem took a breath, eyes closed. When she opened them she smiled. "It's been so long," she said, smooth and polite smile on her face. "Over three years. Almost four. How have you been?"

He knew this tone, he knew this track: pretend nothing terrible had happened and will the world away. Live in the delusion, the terror bubbling just below the surface. Ozpin had played that game over and over and over again. He had catered to her games in the hopes of keeping his son safe, but now he refused to play. "Things were going markedly well," he said, "Until today when you arrived on my doorstep."

A thoughtful frown, but that was all. Ammunition to be stored for later attack.

"Things haven't been so smooth for me, you know," Salem said, voice pained.

"I don't know," Ozpin said. "I do not interact with your messages."

There, the dark red glare. The long beat of silence. The calculation. She had grown more short-tempered in the intervening years, her ability to act as if nothing were the matter had eroded.

"Then let me inform you on what your abuse has done to me," Salem said, her tone more even, more measured. "After you kidnapped Oscar for your _pleasure_ ," she drew the word out like a curse, "I was left holding the bag. You left me absolutely nothing. I lost my job because of all the days I was forced to take off to deal with the lawyers and the custody battles - all the while you were hiding behind the _harpy_ Robyn Hill doing _god knows what_ to Oscar. I was sick - did you know that? I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I had to go to the _hospital,_ you hurt me so badly."

"No," Oz corrected. "My leaving did not hurt you. The illusion of you having power over me shattering, that was what had hurt you. And it should have happened years prior."

"I _can't believe_ you would say that," Salem hissed, her teeth baring to a snarl. Tyrian giggled by the fireplace, enjoying the show apparently. "You must truly be a narcissist for you to kick me in the heart like that! You are psychotic, do you know that? You don't live in reality!"

"Don't I?" Oz asked. "Perhaps we should talk to the nature of reality and how it is perceived on an individual basis, about how one reality can affect another - be it positively or negatively-"

"Don't lecture me," Salem dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Mincing words doesn't do anything for anybody."

"And yet you mince words so concisely to win every argument you ever had," Ozpin countered. "I believe that's called a double standard."

" _We're getting off the point,_ " Salem hissed, leaning forward dangerously, Oz instinctively leaning back, eyes on her hands. Tyrian giggled again, rubbing his hands together. "We're here to talk about how much you've hurt me and what you're going to do to repair the damage. I lost my job, I was in the _hospital_ , but I know you don't care about any of that, _heartless_ as you are. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to live in California? How much I've had to sell off to keep my head above water? I live in squalor now, destitute and dependent on the kindness of strangers."

"I find any of that hard to believe," Ozpin said slowly, carefully. "Given that you far and away got the better side of the deal in the divorce."

" _I didn't get Oscar_."

Ozpin let the statement hang in the air, gauging the red eyes, the caked mascara. Then, "That is the one victory I take comfort in."

He was getting her angry, he knew that, but he was _not_ going to give her what she wanted to hear. Since the divorce he had learned, several times over, that people _could_ be kind to one another, that people _could_ learn from their mistakes, that life did not have to be _stagnant_. Salem was immutable, incapable and unwilling to change, and Ozpin was not going to shrink himself down and put himself back in that world. He had grown since the divorce, and Salem had to see that. If nothing else, he was going to be honest with this woman whom he had spent so many years with - he wanted to honor the good memories with his honesty.

Salem stood to her full height, hands fists at her side, red eyes bulging in her glare, surrounded by the mascara and dark circles. " _You-!_ " she started to shout, and from the corner of his eye Ozpin saw the Tyrian man lean in, gold eyes intense and manic grin on his features. Then, quick as it had come, Salem's temper subsided: she took a slow breath, closing her eyes, and sitting back down.

Then she smiled.

"The Steinway piano is gone now," she said, and Ozpin felt something in his heart break as he realized what she was going to say next. "So is the hope chest. The Ansonia clock. Your great grandmother's wedding dress was beset by moths, and that eighteenth century cradle we put little Oscar in? It's firewood now."

Oz closed his eyes, held in his pain. All that history, the lineage of his family, the connections to his past… He gave Salem a calm look, refusing to show her that her shallow attempt to hurt him had worked.

But she knew anyway, and she smiled, soft and dangerous. "Some of it was sold," she said, "to pay all those bills you left me. But some of it… well, some of it didn't survive the divorce."

"Meaning with no one to strangle you sought to hurt me in some other way," Ozpin said slowly, in a low voice. "I hope your satisfaction lasted."

"Hardly at all," Salem said, knowing she had the upper hand now. "I knew how upset you'd be, and I was scared of what you'd do if you found out."

"That is a lie and both of us know it," Oz corrected. "You destroyed them because you were angry, and you felt no fear because I was no danger to you. I willingly submitted to your hands in the misguided thought that it would spare Oscar from such injury. Fear was something you never felt, Salem. Only anger. Only spite."

"And who could blame me?" Salem asked smoothly. "You were _so_ abusive when we were together."

"You don't truly believe that."

"But I do. Because of Oscar."

* * *

Oscar got off the bus and took a moment to look around the yard. Hmm, the rain from the day had been good for the plants, but it looked like the wind had taken down a branch. So he'd probably have to deal with that during the weekend. Actually, he hadn't done any of the wood in the chipping pile yet, now that it had dried out over the winter, so he should probably do that first and _then_ start the new chipping pile with that branch after he cut it down to something more manageable. Not that it was that huge yet.

Actually, he should probably take a look at it first. Oscar walked across the yard and looked at the branch. He could lug it on his own, but knowing Qrow, he'd insist on helping. Assuming his bad luck didn't activate, it would be easier if he had the help.

Nodding to himself, Oscar stood and headed to the front door. But he paused when he was halfway there.

Why was his Dad's cane in the yard? Oscar picked up the cane and clicked the knuckle guard, retracting it and he felt anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

Why didn't his dad have his cane?

Oscar pulled out his phone, wondering if there was a message from either his dad or Qrow about some emergency. There wasn't, and there hadn't been when he was checking his phone on the way home. He walked up the steps to the porch and as he crossed by the window, his eyes widened.

His dad was there. On the couch. With his _mom_.

Group chat! _SOS! HEL-_

"You must be Oscar."

Oscar hit send and looked up. A tall man stood there, long black hair pulled back into a braid and smiling in a way that sent chills down Oscar's spine.

"You're needed for a family meeting," the man said, ending with a giggle.

Every instinct in Oscar said _run_!

He turned, but a hand with purple fingernails grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Now, now, you should have a lot to say to your mother."

"Let me _go_!" Oscar pulled out his dad's cane with his free hand, his phone dropping to the porch as the man started pulling him to the door. Oscar clicked the knuckle guard, extending the cane, but the man grabbed it and pulled it out of Oscar's hands.

"Ooooh," the man laughed. "Interesting," he said, laughing some more. "Oh, how delightful. Useless, but delightful." And he threw the cane back into the yard.

" _No_!"

And the man started dragging him into the house. Oscar, naturally, resisted. He dragged his feet, pulled and yanked his arm to get it free, but he still hadn't hit his growth spurt yet and he was still so _short_.

" _Let me go_! Let me go! _Help! Fire!_ "

But the man was deceptively strong and grabbed Oscar's other free arm and _pulled_ , getting Oscar off balance as he tripped at the step into the house.

"My _Goddess_!" the man cackled. "Look who I spied lurking on the porch! Hahahaha!"

" _Oscar_!" his dad was on his feet, reaching out and stepping forward.

" _Ozpin_ ," his mother hissed, standing and grabbing his arm. " _Sit down_."

"Oscar!" His dad pulled away, staggering forward. "Oscar, are you alright?"

" _Dad_!"

But the man held out an arm and shoved his dad away, throwing off his balance and his leg gave out, leaving him to collapse on the floor. Oscar surged against the man's grip. " _Dad_!"

"Settle down, _all of you_!" his mother hissed. She looked coldly to his dad. "Ozpin, honestly, what did you expect for moving so suddenly? Come, sit over here so that we may continue our conversation." She looked to the man. "Tyrian, thank you for your help. You're always so helpful."

"Anything, for you," he said lovingly.

"Would you mind looking after Oscar? We don't want Ozpin influencing him."

"Of course, my goddess."

Oscar was dragged against his will to his dad's chair and pressed down to the floor in front of it. Behind him, Tyrian crouched in the chair, and kept both hands on Oscar's shoulders.

His dad was looking around, calculating, before carefully getting up to one knee and then hefting himself to his feet. "Salem," he said softly. "This is neither the time, nor the place-"

"Sit down."

His dad was glaring, but he let out a soft breath and came to the couch, sitting awkwardly as his bad leg was pinned as he sat almost sideways on the couch to keep Oscar in his sight.

"Now," Oscar's mother said serenely. "We were talking about Oscar."

Oscar squirmed and the fingers on his shoulders dug in.

He could only hope his SOS was received.

* * *

"Ah, this is so frustrating!" Ruby whined as she pulled back from the books. "Finals are still a few weeks away, Weiss! Do you have to crack the whip _now_?"

" _Hmph_. Did you, or did you not get better grades last year than you were expecting?"

"I need this," Blake said. "I couldn't get all my credits last year. I _won't_ have that happen again. Between the pictures being dropped and Adam showing up and getting arrested, I've missed a lot and I _won't_ let that affect me again."

Yang ran her hands through her hair. "We get that, but we _need_ a break."

Ruby stood. "That's it! By clear majority, we are taking a break!"

"Hey!" Weiss squawked. "We made no such vote! You didn't even pass a motion!"

"Too bad," Ruby said, heading to the kitchen. "Executive privilege as team leader means I veto all objections!" And honestly, she did need the break. She'd had two quizzes and a test today and her brain was ready to collapse. So she pulled out ice cream. "Who wants ice cream?"

"A break would probably be a good idea," Blake said, standing to come over, following Yang.

Weiss stayed with their books before rolling her eyes and coming over. "You're all just lazy," she said without any real meaning.

Score one for being team leader! Ruby pulled out the vanilla and the chocolate and grabbed all the sprinkles and syrup for sundaes. For Blake, she pulled out some vegan cookies that Ozpin had brought over the other day.

All their phones buzzed.

_SOS! HEL_

"Oscar?" Ruby blinked. She looked at everyone else. "All of you, too?"

"Yeah," Blake said softly.

"The only time Oscar ever sent an SOS," Yang said heavily, "is when his dad was being attacked by that big guy."

_oscar are you okay_? Ruby sent back.

No response, not even the three dots of someone typing back.

They all stared at their phones. Weiss took a breath. "Let's give him a few minutes. We'll have our ice cream and then check. It could be that he's assessing a situation. Let him do that."

Ruby nodded, but the snack was no longer appealing. They dished out the ice cream and ate almost mechanically, and all of their phones were out, waiting for a buzz.

None came.

"He can't still be assessing, can he?" Ruby asked.

They all looked at each other. "Maybe he didn't mean to send it?" Yang said hopefully. "It was cut off, maybe he was deleting it and hit send by accident."

"But no response?" Ruby pointed out. "I'm going to call him."

No answer, only voicemail. "Oscar, when you get this message, please call back."

Weiss was looking at her watch. "He should be home by now. Maybe he's cleaning up and doesn't have his phone handy. We did have some storms today. Maybe a branch came down or something." She looked hesitantly around them. "Maybe we should get back to studying?"

But there was clear hesitance all around.

"Oh!" Ruby smiled. "College is done, right? Professor Ozpin should be home!"

They all smiled and Ruby immediately called.

But there was still no response.

"Do you think his phone is dead?" Blake asked. "You know he likes to let it die regularly to keep the battery healthy or whatever."

"I'll call the house phone," Ruby replied. "Can you guys text Uncle Qrow? See if he knows anything?"

Yang opened her texts.

"I'll contact Winter."

"I'll text my parents."

Ruby called the house phone and waited, counting out the rings.

"One ring."

"Two rings."

"Three rings…."

"Ten rings…."

The phone kept ringing and Ruby left it on speaker. "Blake, can you look up the phone company or something? See if there's service in the area where Uncle Qrow and Ozpin live?"

"I'll check the power company's website," Yang said, already opening a browser.

Twenty rings…

Dial tone.

Ruby called back.

Dial tone.

Ruby called back _again_.

Dial tone.

"No power outages."

"No damage to phone lines. Everything should be working."

"Winter is in a board meeting," Weiss said. "Her secretary won't let me through and I don't feel right insisting since we don't _know_ for sure…"

"Mom's phone is going to voicemail, meaning she's with a client," Blake said. "Dad's at a fundraiser and doesn't even have his phone on."

"Uncle Qrow was talking about the big parent meeting he had after school today. He probably hasn't even checked his phone yet," Yang looked up from her calendar app.

Ruby was thinking hard. "How long a walk is it to get from here to their house? Oscar went straight home, right? He wasn't after school for anything?"

"Did he have club today? Hang on, let me text," Blake started texting other members of the club. "No club meeting today."

Weiss was shaking her head. "It took me over two hours to get from my home to here. It will be faster for us to contact someone who can drive to get there."

"I could drive," Yang said standing.

"Drive _what_?" Ruby asked. "Dad isn't home yet with the car and you've had _no_ practice with a motorcycle and we can't fit all of us on the bike anyway. We don't even all have our bikes."

"We gotta do _something_!"

Ruby nodded solemnly. "We keep trying to reach an adult."

Ruby hoped that all this was over nothing. She was _worried_.

* * *

"Are there any other phones, Ozpin?" Salem asked, sitting down with a mess of phone chords and putting them on an end table.

"No," Oz replied, back on the couch, Oscar hostage to the giddy Tyrian and his bad leg hurting. "Though I can only imagine what this will look like on the police report."

"There won't be a police report," Salem said smoothly. "Why would there be, when a husband and wife are having a simple conversation?"

"Is that what you think this is?" Ozpin asked. "A simple conversation? With you breaking the restraining-"

" _Stop_ bringing that up," Salem said. "That thing isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Restraining order? What have I ever done to warrant that? Who did you sleep with to create that cockamamy idea?"

"I needed nothing," Ozpin said carefully, unbuttoning his collar and showing his neck. "You very obviously left your mark."

Tyrian giggled, shaking in Oz's chair and making Oscar jiggle left to right. "Such beautiful work," he said, licking his lips, staring at the scars. "Such precision. It is a masterpiece worthy of our goddess."

Ozpin gave Salem a flat look, but Salem only smiled, giving a confident smirk and leaning back on the couch, relaxed in her power. "Tyrian is very dear to me," she said calmly. "He, after all, _appreciates_ what I do for him."

"If you expect that statement to hurt you are sorely mistaken," Ozpin said.

There, the dark frown again. "You _never_ appreciated what I sacrificed when I married you," she said. "You dismissed my misery when we moved to California, you didn't care one iota about how cold and merciless everyone was on the coast, how judgmental they were. Marrying you meant the death of my happiness, until I had Oscar."

"Correction," Ozpin said, unwilling to let Salem speak her mind without interruption. He had heard this argument over and over again, and now he knew how to counter it. "Perhaps, if none would consider you a friend in California, it was because of some intrinsic quality about you. I had no such problems at Berkley, neither did Oscar, he had many friends in school. I know for a fact you were invited to company parties-"

" _Don't bring those up_ ," Salem hissed, pointing an accusatory finger. "You _knew_ what those parties were like."

"I did," Ozpin said, unwilling to bend. "Did you?"

"They were full of power hungry _dictators_ trying to squeeze their employees for all they were worth!"

"They were a small start-up tech company," Ozpin corrected, "that played conservative in the market and focused on the quality of their product rather than how fast they could earn money. Your manager had worked in Silicon Valley and stated repeatedly that he was happy to be in a company that cared."

" _You weren't there!_ "

"I was. At those parties, when everyone had their fill of champagne that the president bought out of his own personal finances so he wouldn't overdraw from business funds."

Salem growled, turning away. "Why do I ever bother to speak to you?" she demanded. "You never listen to me, you never take my side, you hate me with every fiber of your being."

"Well can you blame him?" Oscar demanded, and Oz's eyes snapped to his son, silently demanding him not to say any more. The message was not received. "Would you want to take the side of someone who'd strangle you when things weren't going their way? You think I didn't see how out of breath he was after a fight, that I didn't figure out what those scars meant before you _did it to me?_ "

"Oscar-"

Salem raised a hand. "No," she said, dismissing Ozpin, staring at her boy, "Do continue."

Oscar looked back and forth between his two parents, and Ozpin prayed, _prayed,_ that he chose his words carefully. Hazel eyes settled on his mother, a frown on his freckled face. "I remember," he said slowly, annunciating his words so they were perfectly clear. "I remember when Dad was in the hospital after the accident, and you came home after a Bad Day. I could always tell when you had a Bad Day, because Dad would get really quiet, and if it was really bad he would pull you away to a different room. I had to pretend I didn't hear anything, and then after I would help him catch his breath. Dad was in the hospital and you said we didn't have the money to fly over to see him, and you had a Bad Day. You sat me down and told me how terrible your work was, but I said something wrong, and you got mad. You said I took after Dad, and I asked if that made you happy, and then you gave me these," he pointed to his neck. "Dad cried when he saw them."

Ozpin closed his eyes to the memory, sitting in the wheelchair, trying to figure out why his son had become so quiet and sullen, asking what was wrong, if seeing his father in a wheelchair bothered him, and watching his son look around the entire room, making sure his mother wasn't there, and pulled down his turtleneck. Then,

"Is _that_ what you think happened?" Salem asked, incredulous. "What other sorts of ideas has he been putting in your head?"

"Salem," Ozpin said quickly. "He was eight, don't-"

"Is that what you've been telling him?" she demanded, turning around, red eyes dark again. "You turn me into some wicked mother for sympathy points _from our own son?_ "

"He never said anything," Oscar said, wincing as Tyrian dug his purple nails into his shoulder. "He didn't have to."

"I can't believe this. I can't _believe_ this!" Salem said, low and dark and dangerous. Her head snapped to Ozpin. "Look at what you've done to him! You've made him as heartless as you - refusing to listen to what _really_ happened, fixing things in his mind and forbidding him to accept any other _possible_ version of events! And you call _me_ abusive!" She threw her hands up, and Ozpin leaned back again, body reacting to those hands moving at all.

Salem whipped her head back to Oscar. "Let me tell you what _really_ happened," she said, holding up a finger. "I was stressed out of my mind - your father in the hospital, bills coming in, all sorts of phone calls with Berkley demanding to know what happened - _the police came to our house_ \- I thought for sure they were there to arrest me as some kind of accessory because of the death of poor Gretchen - and all you wanted to do when you came home was see your father. I told you - over and over and _over and over_ \- that we couldn't! We didn't have the money! But you kept asking and asking and _asking_! What did you expect was going to happen?"

"So it's _my fault_ you tried to _kill me_?" Oscar demanded. "Do you realize how messed up that is?"

" _Don't twist this around_ ," Salem hissed, standing. Ozpin saw her fingers were spread apart, and that was the _worst sign yet don't do it to Oscar get her attention stop it from-_

"He was _eight,_ " Ozpin said loudly, drawing Salem's attention. "How could an eight year old be responsible for something like that? I'm more than willing to admit that I was complicit in what you did to me - I was a grown adult and made my own decisions, but do _not_ give Oscar that level of responsibility when he was _still a child_."

Her red eyes were dark now, almost black, matching her overdone mascara and the dark circles under her eyes. She looked down at Ozpin, Ozpin stared evenly back up at her, not giving ground like he would have, not demurring, not minimizing what he said. He willed all her attention to be on _him_ , away from Oscar, and damn the consequences.

But again, she regained her calm demeanor, that soft smile blooming on her face that used to be so lovely but was now so dangerous. She straightened out her black skirt, sitting back down on the couch and still smiling, completely in control.

"Yes," she said in a soft, measured tone. "Oscar is still a child. And look what you did to him."

Oh, no.

Ozpin said absolutely nothing, unwilling to give away that he knew where she was going to go, and she ran a bony hand through her white hair. "We keep getting side tracked," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, Tyrian's eyes drinking in the gesture. "That's my fault, I suppose. I know you don't think I take blame for anything, but there, see? I can admit when I made a mistake. And I really was a fool, wasn't I? I had no idea what you _really_ were when I married you."

"Don't," Ozpin said. "Don't throw the accusations you made during the divorce out now, not when the lawyers proved otherwise. Not when it amounts to nothing more than spite. Even you would not stoop so low."

"Low?" Salem asked, her smile growing, changing her face. "Isn't that interesting, coming from you? To think, I spent all those years wondering what was wrong with me, that you didn't want me, _need_ me, the way I needed you. All that time I thought there was something wrong with me, all that time I thought I wasn't performing as you wished." She was in the seat of her power now, pleased with herself, and from the corner of his eye Ozpin could see Tyrian smiling broadly, eyes dilating to see Salem look so confident. Oscar had a frown on his face, the one thing Ozpin never told him was about to be dragged out in the worse possibly way-

"It's not true," he said. "We both know it. You never believed me. You kept looking for something to be wrong with me, you had _me_ convinced that there was something wrong with me."

"And there was," Salem said, voice dropping in pitch. "Unless you want to argue being a pedophile is somehow justifiable."

Oscar: "What are you even talking about?" he demanded, horrified that he had even heard such a sentence.

Salem threw her soft gaze to Oscar. "It's okay," she said gently. "I know what happened. You don't have to lie to me anymore."

Ozpin saw Oscar put it together, and his son tried to get up, Tyrian holding him down. " _How sick are you?_ " he shouted, trying to at least get to his knees. "How deranged do you have to be? Wasn't strangling him enough? Wasn't strangling _me_ enough? Wasn't sending Gretchen's _brother_ here enough?"

"Oscar, stop," Ozpin said quickly. "She's looking for a reaction, and she'll make it fit her own narrative. Don't give her any ammunition."

"But Dad, she's _nuts_! You told me what you are! You found Qrow, you're so _happy_ now - why does she have to ruin it?"

"Told him?" Salem said, artfully putting a hand to her chest and widening her eyes just enough that they almost looked normal. She turned to Ozpin. "You admitted what an animal you are? What a sin to God you are?"

"I told Oscar the truth," Ozpin said through nearly clenched teeth, fighting to fix the damage and gain ground. "I am a biromantic grey demisexual."

Tyrian burst out laughing, black braid swinging over his shoulder, shoulders shaking. Oscar was forced to sit back, trying to wrestle out of his grip but Salem's muscle was too good at his job. "What the hell kind of label is that?" the man demanded after finally finishing his guffaws. "Don't tell me you're one of those snowflakes that identifies as an attack helicopter, too! That's the richest thing I've ever heard! My beloved queen, where did you _find_ this guy?"

"That's enough, Tyrian," Salem said smoothly, crossing one knee over another, confident smile turning dark. "We both know you'll say anything to get yourself out of trouble."

Ozpin took a slow, deep breath through his nose. "I suppose listing all the instances where I said nothing in my defense are irrelevant?" he asked.

"You were never silent," Salem said, waving her hand in dismissal. "You always had an excuse - an excuse to be at work instead of home, an excuse to do something outside of the house, an excuse not to join me in bed."

"Heaven forbid I not be in the mood," Ozpin offered.

"You're a _man_ ," Salem said. "What man _isn't_ in the mood?"

"The very counterexample of that statement is sitting in front of you," Ozpin said. "I'm more than willing to admit that my not being in the mood hurt you, but that does not excuse the vengeance you enacted during the divorce, nor does it excuse dragging it up _in front of our son_ just so you can enact some scenario you concocted in your head to play out as you fantasized. I did not want to have sex with you. No other explanation is necessary, though I have offered one. I will not give you the answer you want."

"There you go again, lecturing me," Salem said, voice dark. "Why do you think I ended up in the hospital sick during the divorce? I realized what you were doing every time you took Oscar to an imagined 'play date,' every time you offered to pick him up from school. I finally learned what a _monster_ you are, and now I've come to save my son."

"And here you previously stated you were here to reiterate the damage I caused you and how I would make reparations," Oz said, heart bleeding deep inside but unwilling to show that pain to her. "Tell me, which objective am I to believe is the true one?"

"Don't twist this around," Salem said strictly, lifting a finger.

"I'm not trying to twist anything around," Ozpin said calmly. "You are the one who violated the restraining-"

" _I told you to stop bringing that up!_ " Salem said, standing up again. "You always have to have the last word, don't you? You always have to be in the right, play the victim when _I'm_ the one who is suffering! You think playing on someone's sympathies is going to get you brownie points? _You molested my son! You ruined me!_ Did you think you weren't going to pay for it?"

"Of course," Ozpin said over Salem's thunderous tone. "Taking everything in the divorce wasn't enough to hurt me. Destroying my entire personal history wasn't enough to hurt me. Accusing me of molesting my son wasn't enough to hurt me. Telling Hazel about where you thought I lived wasn't enough to hurt me. Now you come _here,_ spending your precious money to try and steal Oscar back as if I won't use the restraining order, the divorce papers, the assault in my own home as immediate evidence of your kidnapping him!"

And then she went for his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we pray we live up to the hype.
> 
> This chapter. This. Chapter. I'm not even sure what to say about this chapter, we kind of left it all hanging out there in this chapter and there isn't much to add. This chapter is an amalgamation/wish fullfillment for us: were we confront the Salem of our lives and say all the things we ever wanted to say but never did. I mean, it doesn't matter because Salem isn't going to change her mind on literally anything but the chapter is one part intense tension and one part fist pumping go!-Oz!-go! Because for the first time ever Ozpin is strong enough to not put up with Salem's BS, and won't let her have her way.
> 
> Also, the girls. They're trying.
> 
> Next chapter aka the Finale: Qrow sure is going to walk in to a lot when he gets home, huh? (evil grin)


	32. Chapter 32

Qrow got into his classroom and let out a sigh as he pulled out his bag from under his desk. That parent meeting had gone smoothly, but it still felt strange for him to be doing this, even after a year as a teacher at Signal. It was never a career he would have thought for himself. Oz had been right, it _was_ challenging, and he enjoyed it. But there were still moments when he was amazed that he was actually there.

He grabbed his grading folders and stuffed them into his bag, along with his empty lunch, a to-do list starting to form in his head. Grading, making lunch for tomorrow - should he just grab something at the store? - PPT he still needed to prep for…

There was a buzz.

Oh yeah, the three phones he'd confiscated during the day. He needed to drop those off in the office.

Qrow unlocked his desk and pulled out the phones, as well as his own. God, he'd not had the chance to check his phone since lunch, because his afternoon was nothing but back to back classes and _then_ the parent meeting had happened-Woah, that was a lot of messages.

_UNCLE QROW! CHECK YOUR DAMN PHONE!_

Ruby? What the hell?

He started scrolling up, seeing all sorts of demands for him to contact someone, but every time he scrolled up, a new text came in sending the screen back to the bottom.

Finally Qrow rolled his eyes and dialed, slinging his bag over an arm and grabbing his keys to lock up his classroom.

" _Uncle Qrow!_ " Ruby shouted into his ear.

"Pipsqueak, why do I have a zillion messages from you?" he asked.

" _BECAUSE! Look, we don't know if it's nothing or not but we're all getting worried!_ "

"Slow down, Ruby," Qrow said, locking his classroom. "From the beginning, what's wrong?"

" _IT'S OSCAR! Or we think it is? He sent out an SOS text, but it was cut off! We've been trying to reach him ever since and we haven't gotten through in over twenty minutes!_ "

That… wasn't normal for the kid but not grounds to jump into a panic either.

"You sure it was an SOS?"

" _YES! He sent it to you too!_ "

"I can't read my messages with all of you adding new ones the instant I start scrolling up." Qrow walked into the main office and handed the confiscated phones to the secretary, who gave him a sticky note.

"Names for the phones," she said.

Qrow nodded, grabbing a pen while Ruby kept explaining.

" _Look, we know it might be over nothing, but we haven't been able to reach him._ And _we haven't been able to reach Professor Ozpin either._ "

"What?"

" _That's why we're so worried! Professor Ozpin is home, right? Graduation was last week or something? But he hasn't answered his phone or the house phone. I let it ring twenty times and now it just goes straight to dial tone. I've been getting nothing but dial tones for the past ten minutes!_ "

Qrow rolled his eyes. "You know that Oz may have gone out, right?"

" _Then he would be answering his cell! Uncle Qrow,_ why _would Oscar send an SOS and then not be able to be reached and the same for Ozpin? This makes no sense and we're getting scared!_ "

"Ruby, what has gotten into your head?" Qrow asked, finishing the sticky notes and giving them and the phones to the secretary. She locked them in a drawer and Qrow finally started to make for his car.

" _Uncle Qrow, please. Oscar sends an aborted SOS text and then we can't get a hold of him. He doesn't call back. We try to contact his dad but he doesn't answer either - the house phone jumped from ringing to dial tone, nobody's answering anything and the last time Oscar sent an SOS that big guy was attacking his dad! You had me call the police! What if we have to do that again?_ "

"Look," Qrow said, getting into his clunker and starting the engine, "I get where this all makes sense in your head but there's probably a perfectly normal explanation. Oz might have taken a fall and Oscar had to help him, or we ran out of food and they went grocery shopping." That was, admittedly, a reach, because since moving in Qrow had seen first hand Oz make sure his son had his phone-id-wallet before leaving the house for any reason. His insides were twisting a little - it wasn't that he wasn't worried - but he wasn't going to jump to the worst case scenario either. Clover had talked to him more than once about catastrophizing, and he took a deep breath and reminded himself that there was a perfectly normal explanation for all of this. "Look," he said, "I'm on my way home right now. I'll call you when I park and tell you how normal everything is, we'll get Oz on the phone to show you he's still alive and then Oscar can explain why he accidentally hit send or whatever."

" _But Uncle Qrow…!_ "

"It'll be fine, Ruby, stop worrying about this and start worrying about finals."

The drive home was, give or take, twenty minutes; and Qrow could admit to himself if no one else that he _might_ have made this particular drive in thirteen. When he pulled onto the street he saw Oz's car in the driveway, blocking him from going into the garage and forcing him to park on the street. The sidewalk was dry and as he got out he saw something dark poking out of the grass and onto the sidewalk. Ruby's number dialing, he walked over to it, wondering if it was.

" _Uncle Qrow! Are they okay?_ "

"I haven't even made it into the house, Ruby," Qrow said, reaching down to pick up. "... the hell? What's Oz's cane doing in the middle of the yar-" There. On the front steps: the green casing of Oscar's phone. "Fuck," he cursed.

" _What is it? Uncle Qrow! What happened?_ "

"Give me ten minutes," Qrow said, voice low and dangerous as he retracted the cane and put it in his pocket. "If I don't call back, call the cavalry." He pulled the phone away and hung up, moving to the garage, darting around it to the back yard. His biggest fear was the house being empty, Oz and Oscar spirited away somewhere, but that meant the bitch-ex learned where Oz was, and Qrow knew the number of steps his lover went through to make sure that didn't happen. As he moved around the garage and entered Oscar's back garden he pulled out his keys, hoping the back door didn't squeak too bad. Blood was pumping in his veins, he wanted to just kick the door down - he normally _would_ just kick the door down - but if this turned out to be nothing he didn't want egg on his face.

... but it wasn't nothing, he was pretty sure of that.

Once he was at the back door he could hear voices: " _I told you to stop bringing that up!_ " said a rich alto from inside. "You always have to have the last word, don't you? You always have to be in the right, play the victim when _I'm_ the one who is suffering! You think playing on someone's sympathies is going to get you brownie points? _You molested my son! You ruined me!_ Did you think you weren't going to pay for it?"

Fucking _bitch!_ Qrow could hear Oz's voice, saying something in calmer but not the usual Oz-calm tones, and Qrow managed to twist the knob.

"Dad! _Dad! Let him go! Stop it!_ "

_Son of a fucking bitch if one hair was harmed on Oz's head-!_

Qrow shoved the back door open, took all the three steps through the kitchen and to the living room to see some kind of freaking _albino_ on the couch, Oscar on the floor and struggling in the grip of some kind of thug - the ablino was looming over something that that was all Qrow really needed to understand.

" _Get away from my family!_ " Qrow shouted, lurching forward and grabbing a bony shoulder, the woman turned around - red eyes - startled, and beneath her was Oz, curling to the side and coughing for breath.

The thug was there, gold eyes and giddy smile and throwing a punch that Qrow ducked under. He saw Oscar darting around the couch but didn't have time to see more, ducking a second swing and blocking a third, shoving his palm into the loser's face and jabbing it into the nose, making the thug try and dart back. The house was small, so was the layout, and the thug tripped over the coffee table, black braid swinging wildly as he broke the furniture. Qrow looked for the albino bitch but Oscar had her by an arm and was trying to drag her away from Oz. Qrow pulled out the cane and tossed it over before he perceived an incoming punch. He couldn't side step it quick enough and it careened into his side, making him double over before he could control the impulse.

"Fuck you," he growled, straightening and grabbing the follow up jab, taking the wrist and twisting it around so the Braid Bastard had his back to Qrow. He lifted up a foot and kicked, sending the bastard through the wreckage of the coffee table and over the chair. That gave him enough space to help Oscar with the bitch-ex, grabbing a shoulder and spinning her around.

" _Who are you?_ " she demanded, red eyes wide and bulging.

Qrow aimed to hurt: "I'm his husband you psycho bitch," seeing her already wide eyes double in size as he swung the tiny woman over a shoulder. She was screaming blue murder to be off her feet and Braid Bastard gave a cry of rage that sounded just as psycho as the Bitch-Ex, hurtling over the chair to stop Qrow from throwing her out.

They all collided together into a heap on the couch, and the Bitch-Ex managed to scramble out of Qrow's grip, Qrow trying to figure out if any of the bodies around him were Oz. Braid Bastard grabbed at Qrow and started to swing him somewhere, but Qrow was having none of _that_ , getting his feet planted before planting a headbutt that landed with a satisfying _crunch_. Braid Bastard staggered back, covering his face, and Qrow kicked him into the fireplace.

A little out of breath now from the scuffle, he spun around to see who else he needed to take care of. He didn't see Oz anywhere, or Oscar either. Bitch-Ex was on her feet and staring.

" _You!_ " she shouted. " _You're_ the one who turned him gay!"

"Bitch, please," Qrow said, rubbing his side where the Braid Bastard had sucker punched him. "You gonna get outta here? Or am I gonna have to beat up your fuck-boy over there a little more?"

And, for no reason Qrow could comprehend, she screamed.

Like, high-pitched, long, shrill, unending _scream_ , bouncing around in Qrow's ears and then his head, enough that he startled at the assault on his ears. That was the opening Braid Bastard needed, diving into Qrow and both of them tumbling into the broken remains of the coffee table, splinters digging into Qrow's exposed skin and through his shirt. " _Fuck_ what is your damage?" he grunted.

"You touched my queen!"

Oh, for-! Qrow started to retaliate but it looked like Braid Bastard finally did something smart, grabbing Qrow's hands and holding them down. Qrow squirmed, knowing he could pull out and just needing a second to do so. Braid Bastard had a good grip, though, and his gold eyes watched as someone - the Bitch-Ex - come in over his head. Her white hands reached, fingers spread apart, and they grabbed at Qrow's neck. For a tiny bitch she was strong, and Qrow's entire body reacted to suddenly not having air _what the fuck he couldn't breath that was his hyoid bone whattheactualf-_

Through his automatic panic he saw two things: first, Oscar in a fit of _insanity_ jumping onto Braid Bastard's back to yank him off of Qrow. Second: a pale hand with Oz's retracted cane coming within an inch of the Bitch-Ex's head, clicking the knuckle guard and letting the full extension of the cane careen into the bitch's temple. Instantaneously free, Qrow scrambled - Oscar's weight tipping Braid Bastard to the side and Qrow rolling the bastard to his stomach, grabbing and his wrists and twisting them into a lock Tai had taught him back in the day. "Move," he growled, "and your arms break."

"My queen! My queen!"

Oscar, no longer having to deal with Braid Bastard, was crawling over to the Bitch-Ex and grabbing her shoulders, letting his weight hold her down. No training…

"Oscar, like this - grab the wrists."

"Got it," the kid said, mimicking Qrow's hold, the bitch still dazed from the blow to her head.

All three of them were panting, and it took a second for Qrow to realize the home invaders were handled. His eyes spun inevitably to Oz, his lover kneeling on one leg, his bad one out in the wreckage of the coffee table and bent just enough that Qrow knew it probably hurt like hell. His brown eyes were wide and he was struggling to take controlled, silent breaths.

"Oz," Qrow said. " _Oz._ You okay?"

He wasn't looking at anything, fighting to control his breath, and Qrow couldn't move into his line of sight or else Braid Bastard would buck him off, like he was already trying furiously to do. Cursing, he looked to Oscar. "We need to call the cops," he said. "But neither of us can get up. How do we get him back?"

Oscar shook his head. "I always waited it out, counted his breaths out loud until he came back. I never learned how to pull him out."

Qrow growled, low in his throat as the anger washed over him again. "You're lucky it's you holding her down," he said darkly. He turned back to his partner. "Oz, you with me? Oz." He waited a few beats, and then repeated himself. " _Oz_."

Slowly, the chocolate gaze moved slightly to him, breathing a little more steady. A hot tear rolled down his cheek and he blinked. Oz tried to say something - his lips moved but his voice was a crackled whistle of air and Qrow was _going to kill that bitch twice over for what she did_.

"Hello?" said a voice at the front door. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Ghira!" Qrow called out, "Come in through the back! And call the cops!"

Seconds later Ghira came in through the kitchen, taking in the destroyed coffee table, the overturned chair, and Qrow and Oscar sitting on the Bitch-Ex and Braid Bastard. "Oh my god," Kali's husband said, pulling out his phone. "Blake was right to worry."

"Can you sit on the bitch?" Qrow asked, feeling a weird strain on his voice box. "Oscar has to help Oz breath, the bitch was choking him."

"My queen…!"

"Shut up," Qrow growled, leaning in to Braid Bastard.

"I've got it," Ghira said, climbing over the wreckage. "Tai's on his way as well. The girls called everyone."

"Please tell me the cops were part of that call chain."

"If they didn't, I will," Ghira said, crouching down and taking over holding down the dazed Bitch-Ex. Oscar crawled immediately to his father and leaned in close, placing his hands on Oz's uneven lap. Oz tried to say something again, but it was just broken noise, but he lifted his hands up and held Oscar's face before pulling him into the tightest of hugs. Qrow wanted nothing more than to join that hug but he had to keep his family safe first.

"I didn't know his ex was an albino," Ghira muttered, muscles rippling slightly as he held the Bitch-Ex down.

"Looks don't matter all that much to Oz," Qrow said. "Important part was what she _did_."

Ghira looked at the tightly held father and son, and he nodded. "Who's the braid?"

"No idea. Fuck-boy I'd guess the way he talks."

"Do not defile my goddess."

"Hey, I said _shut up_." Qrow turned back to Ghira. "The girls?"

"Kali's with them. She called me as soon as she checked her messages, got me at the fundraiser. They asked if they should call Winter, I think they were going to send up smoke signals, they were so worried."

Qrow huffed a laugh. "Thank Oscar," he said, jutting his head. "He was able to get an SOS out."

Ghira winced just to hear it, and the sound of sirens finally started to echo in the house.

* * *

Qrow watched Oz sitting on his front steps, staring out at the sunset, ambulance shock blanket hanging limply over his shoulders. His voice was still an incomprehensible mess, but Oscar had managed to get the word "chocolate" and he was sipping a mug of it in the warm May air. Tai had arrived five minutes after the cops and had used more swears in twenty minutes than Qrow had heard when he learned what Raven had done. His phone had no less than sixty messages from the girls and he had just finished a twenty minute phone call with Kali to pass on what had happened before Ruby got on and put the phone on speaker so he could talk to everyone. That had lasted another half hour and drained a good thirty percent of his battery before he finally said, "Look, let me look after everybody, okay? I'll talk more later."

" _Yes!_ " Yang had said automatically. " _Take care of the family! Give Oscar a few extra hugs from us!_ "

Oscar, listening to the conversation with half an ear, nodded numbly, but he was content to sit with his dad on the front steps and acting as translator for everyone when Oz tried to say something. It wasn't like he was saying much, though. Like always, he confessed his pain with silence, staring off into space randomly as his professor brain tried to process the day as rapidly as possible so he could be there for everyone else. Qrow shook his head and answered most of the questions as he could. Robyn Hill had been called at some point, coming over and staring at everything in horror before getting right to work, calling her firm and spitting fire at whoever was at the other line. Qrow liked her.

But now almost everyone was gone: Ghira going to help with the girls as Tai put in an effort of cleaning up the worst of the living room, bringing the biggest pieces of the broken coffee table out to the garage and putting Oz's chair upright again. There were mud stains everywhere from Braid Bastard's boots, and somehow a message had been sent to Winter and she had gotten word back that she was sending a cleaning service in the next few days.

Oscar checked out perfectly aside from a few bruises from the thug's grip. Qrow had a lot more scuffle damage, but honestly he'd been through worse in college, and before rehab. His side hurt the worst because of the sucker punch, but he was fine. Oz was the biggest deal for the ambulance. A brace was put on his knee until he could have a check up with his physician, Qrow had damn near lost his mind when someone said there was blood on his neck - but it turned out to be scratches from the Bitch-Ex's long nails. Pictures of his neck were taken as evidence by the cops, and he struggled to explain what had happened.

Now he was sitting on the front porch, listless and out of energy, lost in his head. Oscar sat next to him, curling naturally into his side.

Qrow shook his head, sitting on Oz's other side, grunting slightly as his side throbbed. He looped an arm over his partner's shoulder, watched the sun slowly sink behind the houses on the other side of the street.

Tai came out from the garage. "Got all the scraps that I could," he said softly, clapping his hands together. "Need anything?"

"A beer would be nice," Qrow joked, but his heart wasn't in it. Tai understood, nodding as he put a hand on his hip.

"Do you want me to stick around?" he asked, eyes on Oz.

"Nah. I got it from here."

Tai nodded. "Okay. You know the girls are gonna call tomorrow, right? It'll be everything I can do to get them to school tomorrow."

"I'll send a damn selfie in the morning," Qrow said. "Once I know he's up for it."

Oz tried to say something, and Oscar translated: "He says he can take it now."

Tai smirked and grabbed his phone. Qrow heard the snap of a picture just as the sun finally fell behind the house across the street. Tai leaned in, giving Qrow one last hug. "Take care of them," he said.

"I will," Qrow said softly, squeezing his partner. Tai nodded and waved, moving down the street to his car. He watched his brother drive off - better family than Raven ever was - and now he had a new family as part of the mix. He waited a while, the warm air cooling but not yet uncomfortable, watching the sky burn from gold to purple to edges of night blue. His lover moved occasionally, shifting his bad leg or sipping his chocolate, and on the other side Qrow could sense Oscar nuzzle his dad on occasion.

Finally a hand slinked onto his lap, and Qrow's free hand automatically found it. Oz tilted to the side, leaning into him. His voice made some kind of noise, and Qrow looked to see a frustrated frown. Oscar looked up but Oz shook his head, straightening slightly and turning to Qrow. He leaned in and kissed his lover lightly, and Qrow instinctively knew that Oz had tried to give one of his pleased hums, to let Qrow know he was back. He smiled into the kiss. "Good to have you back, Oz," he said.

Oz spoke, and after so many hours he had enough of his voice back that Qrow could just make out, "I know."

"Come on," Qrow said softly. "Let's get you to bed. You, too, Oscar. We're having a threesome."

"... a what?" Oscar asked.

"It'll be a tight fit," Qrow said, getting up from the front steps, "but I for one want to wake up at night and know both of you are fine." He held out his hand and Oz gratefully took it, swinging up to his feet and leaning on his cane.

"... I'm sorry," he said hoarsely.

Qrow looked at Oscar, confused, but the kid shook his head. "For what?" he asked.

Oz shook his head. "For bringing this down on us."

Qrow sighed and moved up the steps. "Last I checked," he said, making his voice as calm as he could. "You aren't responsible for that psycho bitch's actions. Unless you want me responsible for that Braid Bastard getting his paws on Oscar."

"No," Oz said, moving up the steps, voice cracking everywhere. "That's not-"

"It is," Qrow said, pulling his shirt off. "You want a shower before we turn in?"

" _Yes_ ," Oscar said. "I'll set us up. Dad, do you want to go first or last?"

"Last," Qrow said. "We're showering together."

Oscar made a face, and Qrow leveled a flat look in return. "If you think anyone in this house is in the mood, kid, you were hit in the head. I just want to help."

Oscar nodded and disappeared into the master bedroom. Oz shuffled around the ruined living room, leaning pretty heavily on his cane, and into the kitchen. Qrow joined him, sitting at the kitchen table and holding his leg out. Qrow sat and took his lover's hand, lifting it up to kiss him. "Gotta admit, Oz," he said, holding that hand to his chest. "When I saw the bitch over you on the couch, I thought the worst."

Oz closed his eyes to the memory, quiet but not silent. "I didn't know what to do," he said, voice barely audible, "When I saw her hands on you."

In the heat of the fight Qrow hadn't realized, and he leaned in to kiss his lover again. "We're okay," he said. "And hell if you didn't come up with the best damn idea." Qrow snorted. "Who've thought a cane would be a weapon?"

Oz tried to smile, but he didn't really have the energy. Qrow kissed the hand again and got up, opening the fridge for something to nibble on. Dinner was basically fucked, and he knew he'd be starving in the morning. He found some leftover orange slices and pulled them out, putting them in front of Oz, who shook his head. "I can barely swallow," he said, voice cracking.

Qrow pulled at Oz's collar, staring at the new scratches, the new bruises. "Still want to kill the bitch," he said softly. "Want to kiss those away, too."

Oz tried to hum again, and they sat quietly while they listened to the shower running in their room. Oscar came out in ten minutes in sleep pants and a tank, and Qrow got up to help his lover.

After the shower Qrow and Oscar silently agreed to put Oz in the center of the bed, Qrow taking his side and Oscar sliding in on the other side. Lights off, sounds of the house, even breathing, and Oscar was asleep in seconds, curled around his dad. Qrow could see Oz still running his hand through his son's hair, happy to still be able to do so. In bed, Qrow could feel how tense Oz still was, and he sat up to dig the heels of his palms into his lover's shoulders, down his back, helping the muscles where he could before his arms - already suffering a major workout from the fight - refused to do more. He curled around Oz, slinking an arm under his side.

"Tai asked me something earlier," he said softly into his partner's ear. "But I don't know if you're the type. He still has the number of his therapist."

Oz turned to be slightly more on his back, facing Qrow and studying him in the darkness.

"I never did it," Qrow admitted, "But I had Clover. And rehab. And Tai. And I saw how much better Tai was after it."

"... I'm open to it," Oz said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Then we'll talk in the morning."

Qrow felt Oz startle awake twice during the night, the sudden stiffening of his muscles alerting him and pulling him out of his sleep. Once he curled into Oscar, and the second time he curled into Qrow, saying nothing but nuzzling into his shoulder. When the alarm for school went off at five a.m. Qrow cursed and reached over to smash it. "Like hell we're going to school," he grumbled, grabbing his phone. He couldn't remember if he'd called Signal, and he got up to dial the sub line and then the high school to report Oscar's absence. When he stepped into the living room he saw all the damage, the lines of the place unfamiliar with the stains and missing furniture. Qrow growled at the space but put in his calls dutifully.

Oscar was sitting up when he went back in, scratching at his eyes and Qrow shook his head. "Sleep," he said softly. "I just gave us all the day off."

"... 'kay, Dad," he mumbled, curling back into Oz.

Something burst into Qrow's heart and he stared at the kid, already asleep again. Did he just realize…? Soft heat bubbled up Qrow's chest, and he reached over and fluffed the kid's hair. Soft, just like his dad's. Damn if he didn't love that boy as much as Oz.

He slid into bed again and Oz stirred, giving soft hum that almost sounded normal, but Qrow curled around his lover's back, and they both fell back asleep.

* * *

Flashes of memory: Sitting on the couch with Salem across from him. The man, Tyrian, holding down his son. Long nails reaching for his neck.

That jolted him awake. But other memories flittered into his mind as well: Oscar pulling Salem off and trying to drag him to the stairs. Qrow standing in front of Salem. Salem strangling Qrow.

_That_ made him snap his eyes open, sucking in air through his nose, but weight was on his chest, the scratchy fuzz of a five o'clock shadow, and a warm squeeze. He sighed in relief, and he reached over for his glasses. Oscar was missing from bed, but he heard puttering upstairs, the soft creak of floorboards, and a bone-deep relief made him sink into the mattress. Emotion welled up in him, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to wake up Qrow.

A hot tear leaked out the corner of his eye, and it was kissed away.

"It's okay to make noise, you know," Qrow whispered.

Ozpin turned to his lover and held him, his mind overloaded with what-ifs and could-have-beens flooding out of him in shuddering breaths and shaking shoulders. He couldn't remember the last time he'd mourned, truly mourned, everything that had happened to him since the year of hell that turned his hair white. The occasional hot tear, the dark night, all those long, lonely drives to and from work, but he'd finally hit his limit, and it gushed out of him in one ugly breath after another - and in equal parts, he was _allowed_ to breath, he was _allowed_ to grieve, he was _allowed_ to let it out. He was safe. Oscar was safe. _Qrow was safe._ The relief was overwhelming, and any rest his vocal chords had overnight were worn down by the end.

Qrow said very little, but his sheer presence was enough, and when it was all said and done, when it was all out of him, all Oz could feel was exhausted relief.

He sat up slowly, running his hands over his burning eyes and through his tousled hair. His bad leg was absolutely rigid and he mechanically started working through the muscles, somehow both emotionally numb but lighter than he'd felt in years. Qrow was already tugging at the blankets, working his hands with increasingly practiced ease and Ozpin started wiggling his ankle to test how limber he'd become.

After that was morning medication: four pills and six vitamins. Qrow got them for him with a glass of water.

"I don't deserve you," Ozpin said, his voice still a crackled mess as he gulped it all down.

"Reverse is also true, Oz," Qrow said, not unkindly. "So I figure we're even."

Ozpin hummed, lightheaded with his catharsis, but he reached for his cane to get up and face the day.

Oscar had made breakfast, little more than cereal and bananas. Ozpin had wrinkled his nose at being reminded of how much of his home - his safe space - had been wounded from yesterday, but he was more awake now, more able to process, more able to function.

"I need to call my doctor," he said, "and schedule an appointment for my knee."

"Already made it," Oscar said. "It's Friday at four-thirty. That way Qrow and I can both be home to take you."

Ozpin blinked. "How…?"

"I, uh, may have called and pretended to be you," Oscar said, looking down at his hands. Qrow snorted into his coffee and laughed.

"Any other things we should know about?"

"Uh, there's a message on your phone from Ms. Hill, and a zillion messages from Ruby and the others - most of them can probably be deleted. They kept asking for a picture of you two to make sure you were alive. I… might have snapped a picture while you two were still sleeping. And it might be the new background on my phone for a few weeks for when I start to stress."

Ozpin blinked again, looking at the clock and wondering how exactly he'd missed so much already. "I feel adrift," he said, frowning. "Like I woke up this morning and am in someone else's life. I don't…" he looked at Oscar and Qrow, unusually unable to find the right words. "I feel…" He shook his head. "The living room is a mess, you're both missing school with the end of the year looming, the sun is up and shining and I don't truly understand how yesterday… I am about to yet again be indebted to Ms. Hill, accrue new medical bills but… I am lighter than I have felt since… since…" He spread his hands, unable to articulate himself and frustrated that he couldn't.

Qrow leaned back in his chair, shrugging his shoulders. "That's what happens when you have a good cry, Oz. God knows I learned that more times than I had a right to."

Ozpin smiled, his heart soft, and he reached over and took his lover's hand before turning to Oscar. "Qrow asked a question last night," he said, voice cracking again. "A lot has happened - not just yesterday but for many years, and things we thought dealt with have been dragged up and cut open anew. I have certainly in the last two years pushed you through enough guidance programs at school, and you have grown considerably in that intervening time. I think it's time that I did the same."

"Dad," Oscar said, shifting in his chair. "It'll be fine. Do you want me to come, too?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

Oscar frowned, thinking. "For the first few visits, I think," he said. "To see if I can handle that," he gestured vaguely to the living room, "okay."

Ozpin nodded. "Then that's what we'll do once school ends."

The morning was spent with carpet cleaner and vacuums, going over every square inch of the living room to remove the muddy boot prints of the man Tyrian. Qrow and Oscar handled the carpet and the fireplace while Ozpin dragged in a kitchen chair to clean his chair. The mud came out relatively painlessly, but there were two rips in the upholstery, and the simple knowledge that the chair had been abused by someone so violent. Oz wasn't sure if he could sit in the chair anymore, but he also had a coffee table to replace _and_ the doctor's appointment _and_ the lawyer… he didn't know if he could afford new furniture just for his peace of mind.

The doorbell rang, and Ozpin got up. He froze at the door, remembering who was behind it yesterday. He pursed his lips and put the feeling away. Beyond was Winter and two women with buckets.

"Professor Ozma," she said, putting her phone away. "As promised, I brought a cleaning service."

Ozpin blinked. What…?

"Hey!" Qrow said, coming up behind him and touching his shoulder. "Forgot you'd called about this. We'd already started cleaning."

Ozpin turned to his lover, wanting to ask a question, but Qrow saw his face and already knew. "Called last night after all the fireworks," he said easily, stepping back to let the cleaning service in. "You were still being checked out by the ambulance, I think. It all started to blur together after a while."

"... I see," Ozpin said, his voice still so hoarse. He saw Winter's face wince to hear it, and his former student pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she said, squeezing. "You helped me so much. First in college, then with the lawyer, talking to Weiss…" She pulled back and gave a watery smile. "You didn't deserve what happened. If you need anything, anything at all, call me."

"Well," Oscar said, stepping out onto the front port to join them, "is there something you can do about the broken furniture?"

Winter blinked, eyes darting beyond them to inside the house before she gave a stout nod. "Of course. That's hardly a drop in the bucket. I have a furniture builder from when I bought my home here for Weiss and Whitley."

"Uhm," Oscar said, and Ozpin couldn't believe this entire conversation was even happening. "This might sound a little silly, but in California we had some really old pieces. They were part of my dad's family for - well, forever. Yesterday Mom said…" He looked down. "She said she either sold them or destroyed them."

Winter stared, blue eyes wide. "What kind of pieces?" she asked.

"Well," Oscar said. "We had a two hundred year old hope chest and-"

"No," Oz said quickly. "I can hardly expect… it would be too much work to hunt them down, let alone pay whatever they are worth-"

"Professor Ozma," Winter said, her rich alto both soft and low. "Please don't say no to this."

"But-"

" _Oz,_ " Qrow said. "Let her do a good thing."

Ozpin looked between the three of them, and the _dastardly_ grin of Qrow, and he bowed to fate. "I couldn't thank you enough for this…" he started to say, his voice wheezy.

Winter hugged him again, and then she went immediately to her phone. "Klein," she said, moving into the house. "I have a new project. Oscar, tell me about those antiques."

A little overwhelmed that that had just happened, he looked back to Qrow as his son trailed after Winter. "I must confess I don't understand," he said.

And Qrow shook his head. "It's pretty simple, Oz," he said. "You're good people. And if the world can give screwed up people like me someone as good as you, then once in a while you get a return on all those favors you do for everyone."

Ozpin was certain he'd cry again, even after the endless outpouring of this morning, and he leaned on his cane before a stiff breeze decided to blow him over.

In the end, he had to help Oscar describe the pieces and explain their stories. He tried to point out that they were not antiques, per se, but rather heirlooms - they were well worn and well loved, making them of little value and probably hard to find. Winter scoffed at the very idea and simply didn't take no for an answer. Her man on the phone, Klein, was prone to agree, and Ozpin wondered if he actually _might_ get some of his things back.

By the time lunch came the cleaners were gone, and save the missing coffee table and new rips in Ozpin's chair, it looked like nothing violent had happened the previous day. Oscar was atwitter about the idea of getting some of their old things back, talking about his memories of some of them and his fascination with them when he was a kid. ("You're still a kid now, you know," Qrow said in a flat tone that belied the smile on his face.) Ozpin worried that they would even have room, and he confessed his summer project to Qrow.

"Wait," his lover said. "You were going to rearrange your office so I could have a space there?"

"Yes," Ozpin said, voice almost normal. "Having you work on the couch with all your grading was hardly-"

Qrow leaned in and kissed him, surprising him. "That's why Winter's going to bend over backwards to get your heirlooms back," he said, sitting back. "Because you do things like that without any thought, and it's finally coming back to you."

"Hello!" came the front door with a polite knock.

A second visitor? Ozpin looked at Qrow, but he shrugged his shoulders and got up. "Hang on a second, Kali!" his lover said. Ozpin got up with Oscar, making it back to the living room as Qrow opened the door. Indeed, Kali was there, still wearing cat ears in solidarity with her daughter - even though young Blake wasn't there. Ghira followed shortly thereafter, just a hair taller than Ozpin, a great smile on his face.

"Good to see you back," he said in a grand voice, slapping a hand on Ozpin's shoulder. "You were a little too focused on your boy last night, not that I can blame you. I see you've cleaned the place up well. All you need is a new coffee table."

"Thank you," Oz said, uncertain why the Belladonnas were here. "Is there something we can do for you?"

"Oh, no," Kali said with a bright smile. "It's what _we_ can do for _you_." She clapped her hands together. "I'm going to playfully steal you three for a couple of hours and give you all a full-body massage. Between my partner and his brother who's coming from Massachusetts we'll have you all on the table at the same time." She gave a mischievous smile to Qrow. "Sorry to say I'm not the one working you," she said. "Ghira firmly said no."

"I did?"

Qrow was smiling. "Not a problem. Are the brothers hot?"

" _Qrow_ ," Oz said quickly, his voice betraying a crack.

"Hang on," Oscar said, raising his hand. "I've never had a massage before…"

"Don't worry," Kali said brightly. "I'll explain everything on the way. But first, Ghira." And she tapped her husband with her hip, Ghira - still confused over denying Kali something, straightened and got to his point.

"Sorry," he said, "should have led with this. I spent the morning calling some people I know. You were the one who got us in contact with Winter about the class-action suit, and a lot of people are very grateful that it settled as well as it did. I told them - well, I didn't tell them everything - but I told him you'd been hit with hard times."

"You what?" Ozpin asked.

Ghira shrugged. "A bunch of them pooled all that new wealth together and more people are calling in as the word is spreading. I won't know the exact numbers but we've already scrounged up three thousand-" _three thou-_ "dollars to help with any bills you might have. One of them - he was hired out as a decorator, a designer, for Schnee's projects - when he heard about the home invasion he said he'll come over and redo your house free of charge for what you were able to get him from the lawsuit."

"Ghira," Ozpin protested, "I hardly had anything to _do_ with the class action suit. I barely even introduced you to Winter - the girls would have done that themselves on their own power."

"Ha!" Ghira laughed, hands on his hips. "Don't sell yourself short, professor. Winter told me about you going to some lake house and what that little retreat did to help her plan her attack on Schnee. That woman doesn't do _anything_ without having planned it out, and she's said more than once that you gave her the idea. Besides, we look after our own in this town."

"But-"

"No buts, professor," Ghira said. "Even if you don't need the money you're still getting it."

… but he _did_ need the money, he was still in debt from the divorce and the old rounds of medical bills, and he was ashamed that he couldn't say no. But he was also touched that so many people who didn't even _know_ him were willing to donate something as precious as finances to help him. He was left gobsmacked, could only give a fuzzy nod and a grateful, "... thank you," as recompense.

"Perfect," Kali said, clapping her hands again. "Oh, I can't wait to get you on the table, I can already see how bunched up your shoulders are."

Ozpin was still bewildered, but it was slowly being replaced with a languid bemusement as he and his family were "stolen" and bundled into the Belladonna minivan and taken to Main Street where Kali did her work as a massage therapist. The building was a business building, and Kali smoothly guided them up to the fourth floor and down a long narrow hallway. Two brothers - twins, surely - were in the tiny space, and Kali deftly put Qrow with one brother, Oscar with another, and then smiled her Cheshire grin to Oz as she claimed him to her own room.

"I wanted to talk before you changed," Kali said, straightening out the table and adjusting a stool she would likely sit on. "There's something I don't think we've told you in the last year. You already know Ghira is a fan of your work, right?"

"He might have mentioned it," Ozpin said, somewhere between dry and confused.

"I never wanted to embarrass you," Kali said, "but we have more than a few of your papers. Do you remember the one where you talked about the philosophy of trauma?"

Ozpin winced. "I wrote that right after the accident," he said. "It wasn't my best work."

Kali smiled. "It was for us. I read that paper once a week for almost three months after Blake's assault and when Weiss was living with us. It kept me sane as I looked after my two girls, it kept my head in the right place when I was talking to them. You did so much for me, and when I gave you that foot rub last Christmas - year before last - I realized how you knew to write that paper."

Ozpin blinked, having never known any of this.

"But you were always so private, and I didn't want to intrude. But please, let me do this for you."

For two hours Ozpin had hands softer and better experienced than Qrow's working over his body, and he was certain he was little more than a melted puddle by the end. Kali used several scented oils, peppermint for bruises from the incidental injuries from the day prior, lavender to relax certain muscles, other scents he didn't recognize. She spent half her time on his bad leg, but also on his feet, saying that certain parts of his feet reverberated throughout his body, and that he was woefully out of balance.

"I've hardly started to really work on some of those knots," she said when she was finished, "I'd need to see you at least two or three more times, but I hope you feel better."

"I feel wonderful, thank you," Ozpin said. His voice was lower, he was so relaxed, and his leg hurt less than it had in years - even with the brace on it. "I had no idea your profession could affect the body in so many ways."

Kali smiled. "This is free, but if you're coming again I have to charge. I'd love to have you as a regular client, I can tell your body needs it, but you have to feel comfortable with it, too."

"Well, given the windfall your husband has just arranged," Ozpin said, "I would certainly be interested. What are your normal fees?"

They continued talking as Oscar slowly wandered in, poleaxed that his body felt as good as it did, before Qrow finally wandered in with a pleased look on his face. "That was a slice of heaven, Kali," he said brightly, "Even if it wasn't you giving it."

She smiled, pleased. "I had a lot of fun with your partner," she said playfully, "and he certainly gave me a workout. I'd _love_ to see him again."

Qrow snorted. "Am I gonna have to keep an eye out for you?"

Kali made a show of thinking it over before saying, "Only if you don't keep your beloved satisfied."

"Fat chance of _that_ ever happening," Qrow said, and the only word to describe it was _preening_ , and Ozpin found himself turning slightly red.

Kali - curiously - didn't drive them home but rather to the Xiao Long household, smirking and telling Tai that Yang owed her _big_ for this. Ozpin and Qrow looked at each other curiously, but Tai was already grinning and welcoming them into his home. "Figured you wouldn't want to eat in a living room without a coffee table," Tai said brightly, "and since the Team Mom did her job it's time for Team Dad to step in."

"I confess I'm uncertain where those titles come from," Ozpin said as he, Qrow, Oscar, and Tai all moved to the backyard. Ruby was pulling at the corners of a table cloth over their picnic bench, Yang setting up silverware and Zwei barking somewhere. It was golden hour, the back year bathed in magical light.

"Long story short," Tai explained, "The girls decided I get to be everyone's dad, and Kali is everyone's mom. The two of us decided that applied to literally everyone."

Qrow laughed outright. "God knows you've babied me enough over the years!"

Dinner was hot dogs and fries - apparently Tai had opened up his grill early for this - and the girls demanded all the lurid details of the day prior. Qrow handled most of the questions, knowing when to embellish and when to gloss over details to make it digestible to impressionable teenagers.

"Oh, before we forget, professor!" Ruby said, getting up and darting back into the house.

"Hey! I _told_ you to bring it out earlier!" Yang said, getting up to follow her.

Qrow snorted, but Tai leaned in. "Really fast, before they jump you with their little gift, I wanted you to know: I talked to my boss today, and she thinks she can get you a discount installation for a new security system for the house."

Ozpin blinked. So did Qrow. "You're serious?" Qrow asked.

"She says she's eighty percent sure," Tai said, "She has to clear it with corporate but they like her and she's done favors for them in the past. That way, next time, if a crazy ex decides to do something as stupid as knock on your door you can know who's knocking and pretend not to be home. It also gives me an excuse to give you my extension at work so if something happens you can call me instead of the service board. Sometimes a familiar voice makes all the difference."

"Tai… I don't…"

The blond scoffed. "Don't pretend you're Qrow and think you don't deserve any of this. You're family now. Besides, you managed to make this Bi-Disaster _stop_ being a disaster. He hasn't had Disaster Energy for almost a year, I can't remember the last time his bad luck triggered something. That's a minor miracle, but I can't canonize you so this will have to do."

Qrow snorted. "I'll have you know-" but then his face flattened out, eyes widening. "... when did my bad luck trigger something?" he asked, tilting his head as he searched.

"See?" Tai said with a smirk. He opened his mouth to say more but Ruby and Yang were back, crowding around Ozpin and Oscar as they placed a hand-made card on his plate.

"Here!" Ruby said brightly. "We've been getting people to sign it all day."

… people? As in plural? Ozpin studied the card, Oscar leaning over to do the same. Someone was a halfway decent artist, a recognizable visage of Oz, Oscar, and Qrow were doodled together inside an irregular heart, surrounded by stars and sparkles. Inside was a note - clearly Weiss' calligraphy. _We hope you're all feeling better! We're glad everyone's safe! Well wishes!_ And several signatures were scattered around the card in a rainbow of colored pens: the principal, whom Ozpin had only met once, two of the assistant principals, the entire guidance department, all of Oscar's teachers, and four girls:

_Thanks for helping me out with my Mom, you're like a third Dad! ~Yang_

_Thank you for taking the time to help me put my family in perspective and letting me make a decision on how to proceed. ~Weiss Schnee_

_Thank you for helping me figure myself out after everything that happened. I don't think I'd have made up with Yang if it wasn't for you. 3 Blake Belladonna_

_Thanks for all your help with Uncle Qrow! He's a lot to handle but he's worth it. I got dibs on being maid of honor! ~Ruby_

Oscar snorted at the last signature, but then blinked. "Wait, Jaune Arc signed this? Why? And Pyrrha and Ren and Nora? And who is this?"

"We did say it took all day," Ruby said brightly. "We went to almost everyone at lunch. I mean, some people just like signing stuff, but a lot of them know you from picking up Oscar and if they liked Oscar they wanted to sign. Blake did the drawing and I did all the decorating. Yang made the rounds in the office and at lunch we made an announcement that Oscar needed some love and a lot of people wanted to show it."

Ozpin stared at the card, beset yet again with the idea that so many people reached out for someone they didn't know. Who's life was he living? When… why… what had he ever done to deserve this? When had he ever felt so happy? So safe? So relieved? He looked up to Ruby and Yang, their warm, smiling faces, and he was light-headed, unable to stop smiling, feeling even more emotion bubbling up from some unknown well deep inside him. He held his breath to control it, the girls wouldn't understand his sudden tears - or rather, they would, and against his will one slid down his face.

"... thank you," he said, and his voice cracked for reasons that had nothing to do with yesterday.

"Yay! We got him to cry!" Ruby shouted. "Wait that sounds terrible! I'm sorry! I mean, yay we got him to feel! No, that sounds even worse. Aah, Yang, how do I say it?"

"Yay! We made him feel touched!" Yang said.

"Yay! We made him feel touched!"

The two girls threw their arms around him, and then Oscar, and the rest of the evening was spent in revelry.

It was after nine when they finally made it home. The missing coffee table was still an ominous reminder of yesterday, but now it didn't seem to bother Ozpin as much. Oscar was yawning and rubbing his eyes, putting up a brave face but still tired.

"Come on, kid," Qrow said, "Let's get you to bed."

"Yeah," Oscar said, before stopping halfway up the stairs and turning back around. "I need to figure what to call you," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Dad will always be Dad, but you need to be called something, too."

Oz, halfway to the kitchen, saw Qrow freeze on the stairs, looking up to his son. "... Qrow is fine, you know," he said, carefully.

Oscar shook his head. "It doesn't mean enough," he said. "You're a dad just like Dad and… I have to call you something. Something appropriate."

Oz was at an angle to see the look on Qrow's face as he stared at Oscar up the stairs, hand on the railing and mouth slightly agape. Ozpin backtracked to the base of the steps and looked up to his son. "My grandfather, when he was still alive, called his father 'Da,'" he said in offering.

"Da…" Oscar repeated, getting used to the sound. "Da… That could work. Good night, Dad. Goodnight, Da." Satisfied with the test, Oscar moved upstairs to his room, and Qrow was still poleaxed at the bottom, wine-colored eyes wide as he turned to stare at his lover, absolutely shocked. He was beautiful in that moment, and Ozpin leaned in to kiss his cheek.

" _Christ_ I love that kid," Qrow finally muttered, following Ozpin into the kitchen and grabbing a soda as Ozpin started to make some indulgent hot chocolate. "I thought it was a mistake this morning. I was up making the calls for the day off and he called me Dad. He was still half asleep, I thought he thought I was you, but…" He was smiling, face an effigy of the same euphoria that seemed to persistently impress itself to Ozpin over the course of the day. "What do you even _say_ to that? I was just standing there like a damn goofball."

Ozpin smiled. "I think the response very simple," he said, "You accept the title."

"But… I've never had kids before…."

Ozpin looked at his lover with a raised eyebrow. "You truly can't believe that," he said. "You've had just as much a hand at raising Yang and Ruby as Tai. You need only look at their accomplishments to know that you would be an excellent father."

They sat together at the kitchen table, Qrow still wide eyed, unable to even open his soda. "Oz," he said seriously. "I gotta be honest with you. Sometimes I can be a royal screw up - more than half the trouble I get in is my own making; but I swear, I'll do my absolute best with that kid of yours. If he's gonna start calling me 'Da,' then holy _Jesus_ I'm gonna do everything in my power to live up to that."

In that moment Ozpin wasn't sure it was possible to love Qrow more, but he did, and he reached out and held his lover's hand. "Don't be perfect," he said softly, "Be yourself."

Qrow made a noise, but he finally opened his soda, and Ozpin sipped his hot chocolate. He still found it hard to believe that yesterday had even happened - it felt like some kind of disjointed dream. _Today_ felt like some kind of disjointed dream, but if both days were so he liked today infinitely better. There was a fullness in his heart, larger than ever before - including after he'd found Qrow.

He tried to determine the root cause: there was no longer the fear of Salem finding him, of course, but also there was no fear that she could hurt him or Oscar ever again. Even belying the charges of home invasion, assault and battery, stalking for her partner Tyrian, attempted murder that would keep her in prison for a _very_ long time, there was no fear of an "after." Salem held no power over him anymore, nor Oscar, and failing that, he had Qrow. That was part of it - perhaps the largest part - but also there was the allowance of being able to grieve, something he had never given himself permission to do, but Qrow _had_. That tiny allowance, _it's okay to make noise_ , had burrowed somewhere deep in his brain and a hundred feelings had poured out of him. It was like the damn had been broken, and his heart refused to be held in check any more. Ozpin could sense that he would wake in tears again, as he mourned and processed everything that had happened to him - but now instead of quiet dread and hoping he could gain control quickly, he knew that he would have a safe space to explore those emotions and come to terms with them in a way he never had before. On top of that - the sheer _outpouring_ of goodwill from the people he knew was unfathomable.

"You're quiet," Qrow said, and Ozpin looked over at his lover, who had so miraculously given him a space to… a space to _breathe_. Qrow watched him, always so attentive, so willing to do something for him even back when they first met. So much of what had happened could be traced back to Qrow and here he was, vowing to be the very best he could be for Oscar and somehow _thinking himself deficient_.

"I think…" Ozpin said, staring, "that I am having a somewhat transcendental experience."

Qrow smirked. "Should I break out the harps and overhead lights?"

"No, you don't understand," Oz said, frowning as he tried to put his multitudinous thoughts together coherently. This wouldn't be a paper, it would be a _book_. "I want… I think I…"

"Heh. Not used to seeing you speechless, Oz, and this is like the fourth time today."

Ozpin hummed, aware of the frequency, still trying to find the right words. He was so inspired, there was so much he wanted to say, much like in that one text chat they had had. The one that inspired…

"... Fuck my life," he muttered.

Qrow choked on his soda, coughing for several seconds. "Not exactly what I was expecting you to say, Oz," he said, rubbing the back of his hand across his mouth. "Turn on or not."

"No, forgive me," Ozpin said. "I am being uncharacteristically obtuse. Do you remember that conversation? You were upset about something - your sister I think - and you were texting me to distract yourself?"

Qrow coughed. "I remember texting you to suck my dick," he said, "and I damn near had a panic attack when you told me to shut up."

"No, before that. We were having a lovely conversation about the meaning of the phrase. You got me thinking about the definition of a life, how it is contextualized from a person to their actions. I've written two papers based on that question."

"I know," Qrow said, still a little confused at what Ozpin was getting at. "I'm the one that drove you to Boston for the speaking engagements."

"Yes, but the very impetus of those papers were to do with the mechanics of that phrase. How does one have intercourse with a life? That was the fundamental question that started it all, and I think I finally found the answer to that question. It's not about the 'fuck,' per se, to use the vernacular, when emotional discourse is added it becomes love. You and I, we do not 'fuck,' we make love. So, then, when one asks the question of the mechanics of that phrase, it should instead be rewritten as 'love my life.' Qrow, what is the most obvious way one loves a life?"

Qrow was overtly lost now, staring openly but humoring his lover. "I don't know," he said. "Live it?"

"Ah, yes, that would be an entirely different avenue to pursue," Oz said, his mind partitioning off to wander around _that_ idea as well, "But how do two people love each other's lives? The answer has been right there, staring me in the face and is one of the few constants across all societies and across all ages: _marriage_."

Qrow stared at him, the beat of silence drawing out, everything solidifying in Ozpin's head, mind moving a mile a minute, several chapters practically writing themselves. But moreover, his epiphany applied to his own life. He loved Qrow, yes, but he had not loved his _life_ , not the way he should have since his confession that New Year's Eve. He loved _all_ of Qrow: from nieces to brother in law to recovered alcoholism to flirty sponsor. Qrow loved _all_ of Ozpin: son and broken body and (now-)impotent ex-wife. The only thing left was loving each other _legally_. It was so obvious Ozpin couldn't understand how it had taken him so long to arrive at the solution.

"Marry me, Qrow," he said. "Agree to fuck my life."

A blink. A swallow. A long, _long_ pause.

But, then, a beleaguered smile. "You say the _corniest_ shit," Qrow muttered, and leaned in to kiss him, deep and aggressive and throaty. "Yeah, Oz. I'll marry you."

Ozpin leaned in to kiss him, just as aggressive. Just as deep, humming in pleasure.

It was a wonderful life Ozpin lived. And he was grateful for every day of it.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Self Indulgence~ Wow what to even say...
> 
> First: Qrow should be renamed Knight in Shining Armor for all the stuff he ends up doing in this fic with his up-to-now hated streak of belligerence. He's such a natural defender and he does not hold back. The Qrow-Tyrian fight isn't as awesome as their fight in V4, but the emotional stakes are way different and we think that balances out. Oscar has agency in handling Salem and it's Ozpin who manages to stop Salem, achieving his mission from the God of Light, huzzah!
> 
> And then we finally get the payoff of Oz just quietly being himself for the entire fic: he's been helping people left and right and it finally comes back to him like ten-fold: starting with Qrow giving him a place to BE. When we were still under That Person, we jealously carved out safe times to talk and vent and allow ourselves to feel all the things we needed to feel, and Ozpin never gave himself that permission. Qrow did. And it all bubbles out from there, as we realize he had an effect of literally everyone's lives in the fic, even people we never see.
> 
> And the softest thing we could think of: Oscar finally calls Qrow Da, and Ozpin unexpectedly pops the question in the most Ozpin way possible. And we finally get to Define a Life.
> 
> Live an awesome life you two!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Back From the Future](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29251431) by [phoenixqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixqueen/pseuds/phoenixqueen)




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